Cenozoic • Paleogene formation In GSP lexicon

Khadro Formation

Paleocene

Kirthar Basin · Eastern Kirthar (Sindh)

Cited in 7 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · PaleocenePaleocene
Named by: Williams (1959)
Type locality: Bara Nai, Lakhi Range26.1183°N, 67.8867°E
Thickness: In type section where at least two basaltic flows are present in the lower part, a thickness of 67 m is reported m
Lithology: Basal limestone with oysters and reptile bones, overlain by olive to grey ferruginous fossiliferous sandstone and gypsiferous shale with fossiliferous limestone interbeds; includes basaltic lava flows.
Synonyms: Not recorded

The bottom unit of the Paleocene Ranikot Group in Sindh — fossil-rich marine beds with early reptile bones and lava flows.

Named by Williams (1959) after Khadro Nai in the northern Laki Range (type section at Bara Nai), the Khadro Formation is the earliest-Paleocene unit of the Kirthar Basin and consists of limestone, sandstone, shale and volcanics — including Deccan-Trap basalt flows (the 'Khaskheli basalt') seen at surface and in the subsurface. It corresponds to the Cardita beaumonti beds of Blanford (1878). Its lower contact with the Vitakri Formation is disconformable and its upper contact with the Bara Formation is transitional and conformable. Earliest Paleocene.

Fossils

Oysters Reptile bones Foraminifera

Contacts

In the Sindh Province column

SandstoneLimestoneFossils 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

Sindh Province

Basin: Kirthar Basin
Region: Eastern Kirthar (Sindh)
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: 26.1183°N, 67.8867°E

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See it in the field

Geoheritage site where this unit is exposed at outcrop.

Ranikot Fort & Ranikot Group type area

Sindh Province

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The basal marine unit of the Paleocene Ranikot Group in the Kirthar/Sindh region, notable for reptile-bearing limestone and intercalated Deccan-related basaltic lava flows recording earliest-Cenozoic volcanism.

Research notes (3)

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

Name & nomenclature (1)

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

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Age & correlation (1)

Afzal, Williams & Aldridge (2009) treat the Khadro Formation (Shah 1977) as the lowermost sandstone-siltstone-shale part of the Dungan Formation, yielding planktonic foraminifera of Zone P1 (Early Paleocene, Danian; Nagappa 1959) and equated with the Cardita Beaumonti Beds. Consistent with, and refines, the curated Paleocene age to earliest Paleocene (P1).

Afzal, J., Williams, M. & Aldridge, R.J. (2009)

Geological significance (1)

Malkani (2016) records volcanics derived from Deccan volcanism within the Paleocene Khadro Formation (sandstone, shale, limestone and volcanics) of the Kirthar (lower Indus) Basin, corroborating the basal Khadro basaltic flows already noted in the dataset and the K/Pg Deccan signal across the Sangiali/Ranikot base.

Malkani, M.S. (2016)

Sources (6)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.
Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
Afzal, J., Williams, M. & Aldridge, R.J. (2009). Revised stratigraphy of the lower Cenozoic succession of the Greater Indus Basin in Pakistan. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 28(1): 7-23.
Malkani, M.S. (2016). Revised stratigraphy of Indus Basin (Pakistan): Sea level changes. In: Cretaceous Ecosystems and Their Responses to Paleoenvironmental Changes in Asia and the Western Pacific — Fourth International Symposium of IGCP Project 608, Novosibirsk 2016, Abstract Volume, pp. 97-99.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.

Reviewer confidence: high

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: Name attested in the Shah (1977/2009) Geological Survey of Pakistan compilation — the national stratigraphic lexicon. This records where the name is documented; it is not an endorsement of the unit’s definition, age or figures.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_khadroformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Khadro 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/khadro-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Williams (1959).

Below · older

Pab Sandstone

Cretaceous

Above · younger

Bara Formation

Paleogene

Referenced in other successions

Underlain by Khaskheli Basalt Formation· Moro Formation