Cenozoic • Quaternary formation GSP memoir

Kech Formation

Pleistocene

Balochistan Basin · Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin

Cited in 2 sources Last reviewed Jul 17, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Quaternary · PleistocenePleistocene
Named by: HSC (1961)
Type locality: Kech valley, near Gish Kaur
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Conglomerate, mudstone and sandstone with an upper angular-unconformity surface.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Pleistocene gravel molasse of the Kech valley, sitting on an unconformity that records the Makran's final folding.

Kech formation is named by HSC (1961) after the Kech valley near Gish Kaur (Map 9; 31N/8) and Kech Valley generally existed from Hoshab area to Turbat. It is also correlated with Kamerod/ partly Ormara formation. It consists of conglomerate, mudstone and sandstone facies. It also has upper angular contact with Subrecent to Recent surficial deposits. The age of the formation is Pleistocene.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Makran Coast column

LimestoneConglomerateShale / mudFossils recordedContact not recorded

Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type; dotted = no contact recorded in the sources (not a claim of conformity). True scale makes height ∝ recorded thickness; hatched = thickness not recorded. Ages approximate, for ordering.

This unit (highlighted) within its province column; faded ends continue above and below. Line style marks the contact type.

Distribution & setting

Makran Coast

Basin: Balochistan Basin
Region: Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
Depositional environment: fluvial, alluvial
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

A Pleistocene post-orogenic conglomeratic molasse of the Makran; its angular unconformity over folded Eocene–Oligocene strata dates the main folding and uplift of the accretionary wedge.

Research notes (1)

Field-by-field findings drawn from the cited literature. Every statement is traced to a registered source — follow a citation for the full reference.

Lithology (1)

Second Malkani reference (2020, same author - not independent): the Kech Formation (Kech valley, Hoshab-Turbat) is conglomerate, mudstone and sandstone (fluvial), Pleistocene, correlated with the Kamerod / partly Ormara formations, with an upper angular unconformity to Subrecent-Recent deposits.

Malkani, M.S. (2020)

Sources (2)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Malkani, M.S. (2020). Revised Stratigraphy and Mineral Resources of Balochistan Basin, Pakistan: An Update. Open Journal of Geology, 10, 784-828.

Reviewer confidence: medium

Every fact on this page is source-cited. This entry is part of the peer-archived Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset (doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991, CC‑BY‑4.0).

Lexicon status: Appears in a single-author Geological Survey of Pakistan memoir (Malkani & Mahmood 2017), not cross-confirmed against the Shah lexicon. The Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan is largely inactive, so documented provenance — not formal ratification — is the available signal.

Spotted an error? Suggest a sourced correction →

Cite this unit

APA

Qudsi, L. (2026). Kech Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_kechformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Kech Formation} --- Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.21363991},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991}
}

Archived dataset: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991 (CC‑BY‑4.0) · Direct link to this entry: https://stratigraphy.pk/formation/kech-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: HSC (1961).