Kawagarh Formation

Attested in Shah (2009), Geological Survey of Pakistan Memoir 22 - the Stratigraphic Committee's compiled lexicon. Adds the definitional GSP/SCP lexicon citation.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Kazmi & Abbasi (2008): the book gives the Kawagarh Formation a Coniacian to Campanian age (no Maastrichtian), slightly older than the curated 'Campanian–Maastrichtian'. Recorded as a note; the age is debated, curated value retained.

Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008)

Umar et al. (2024, after Munir & Baig 2006; Rehman et al. 2021): the diverse planktonic-foraminifera assemblage affirms a Coniacian–Campanian age. The Kawagarh Formation was deposited only in the Kala Chitta and Hazara ranges (absent in the Surghar, Salt Range and eastern Kohat) as inner–outer-ramp argillaceous/dolomitic limestone during a transgressive open-marine phase; an unconformity at its top records uplift from the India–Kohistan Island Arc collision. It is laterally equivalent to the Parh and Mughal Kot formations.

Umar, M., Kassi, A.M., Jamil, M., Kasi, A.K. & Khan, A.S. (2024)

Planktonic-foraminiferal biostratigraphy in Hazara (Munir et al., 2006): Dicarinella carinata, Globotruncana linneiana / elevata–calcarata / fornicata / concavata, Rugoglobigerina rugosa and Heterohelix spp. indicate a Coniacian–Campanian age; deposited on an outer-neritic open-marine shelf (sublithographic, chopboard-weathering limestone).

Munir, M.H., Baig, M.S. & Mirza, K. (2006)

Citation re-attributed to the baseline compilation after removing an unverifiable source (reviewer had no full-text access); the fact traces to the GSP baseline.

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017)

Citation re-attributed to the baseline compilation after removing an unverifiable source (reviewer had no full-text access); the fact traces to the GSP baseline.

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017)

Calkins et al. (1975, after Latif 1962): in Hazara the Kawagarh Limestone is a light-grey, fine, nearly lithographic limestone ~350 ft thick, resting conformably on the Lumshiwal Sandstone and disconformably beneath the Kala Chitta Group (a lateritic contact). It carries Late Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera — Globotruncana (visible in hand specimen), Heterohelix, Rugoglobigerina and Pseudotextularia — and is correlated with the Chikkim Limestone (Spiti), the Parh Limestone (Balochistan) and the Darsamand Limestone (Kohat).

Calkins, J.A., Offield, T.W., Abdullah, S.K.M. & Ali, S.T. (1975)

Sameeni, Mirza & Naz (2007), Kawagarh Formation at Jabri (Lora-Maqsood road, north bank of the Haro river, Hazara), 123 m thick: planktonic foraminifera include five Globotruncana species plus Planoglobulina sp., Heterohelix reussi and Textularia baudouiniana. Globotruncana arca in the upper part indicates deposition extended into the Lower Maastrichtian; the assemblage gives a Middle Coniacian to Lower Maastrichtian age for the formation at Jabri (consistent with the curated Campanian-Maastrichtian, extended down to the Coniacian locally).

Sameeni, S.J., Mirza, K. & Naz, H. (2007)

Rehman et al. (2023): faunal content and microfacies indicate the Kawagarh Formation was deposited in the Neo-Tethys under shallow, open-marine, well-oxygenated conditions on a carbonate ramp — a limestone-and-marl succession with subordinate dolomite, passing from inner-ramp through mid-ramp to outer-ramp microfacies, with lateritisation developed at the top of the formation in the Attock-Hazara Fold-Thrust Belt.

Rehman, S.U., Munawar, M.J., Shah, M.M., Ahsan, N., Kashif, M., Janjuhah, H.T., Lianou, V. & Kontakiotis, G. (2023)

Butt (1989): the Upper Cretaceous Kawagarh Formation is a micritic, outer-neritic deposit (~100-200 m water depth) - the only record of deeper-water facies in the entire history of the Hazara Arc. Type locality Kawa Village in the Kawagarh Range (northern Kala Chitta); after a Maastrichtian non-deposition gap it is overlain by residual K-T laterite/pisolite and then the Upper Paleocene Lockhart Limestone.

Butt, A.A. (1989)

Munir, Baig & Mirza (2005-06): planktonic foraminifera (Globotruncana, Dicarinella, Rugoglobigerina, Heterohelix) with benthics (Planularia, Lenticulina) date the Kawagarh Formation of Hazara as Coniacian-Campanian, extending into the Maastrichtian to Lower Danian in its upper part; it was deposited under outer-neritic shelf conditions on the north-subducting Neotethyan shelf below the Kohistan Island Arc, turning regressive toward the Maastrichtian.

Munir, M.-H., Baig, M.S

Rehman et al. (2023): a 2021 hydrocarbon discovery in the Kawagarh Formation established it as a carbonate reservoir target in the Attock-Hazara Fold-Thrust Belt and motivated a detailed diagenetic-reservoir study. Reservoir quality is controlled by a diagenetic paragenesis of early calcite cementation (predating mechanical compaction, as shown by uncompacted wackestone/mudstone versus late-compacted lithified packstone), aragonite dissolution reprecipitated as microspar, fault-related hydrothermal dolomitization (with strongly negative δ18O values) forming dolomitization fronts, stylolitisation, and uplift-related fracturing with fracture calcite.

Rehman, S.U., Munawar, M.J., Shah, M.M., Ahsan, N., Kashif, M., Janjuhah, H.T., Lianou, V. & Kontakiotis, G. (2023)

Craig et al. (2018): the Upper Cretaceous Kawagarh Formation (Late Cretaceous low-stand siliciclastics; present in the SE Salt Range and Kohat Plateau but not reported within the Potwar Basin) is listed among Cretaceous horizons (with the Lumshiwal and Moghal Kot) showing oil production and shows/seeps.

Craig, J., Hakhoo, N., Bhat, G.M., Hafiz, M., Khan, M.R., Misra, R., Pandita, S.K., Raina, B.K., Thurow, J., Thusu, B., Ahmed, W. & Khullar, S. (2018)