Cenozoic • Paleogene formation In GSP lexicon

Kharan Formation

Early to Middle Eocene (Ypresian-Lutetian; ~56-41.0 Ma)

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · Early to Middle EoceneEarly to Middle Eocene (Ypresian-Lutetian; ~56-41.0 Ma)
Named by: Hunting Survey Corporation (1960)
Type locality: Near Jalwar, Kharan district (Chagai-Raskoh)
Thickness: 90-600 m
Lithology: Reefoid, clay-rich limestone (medium to dark grey, fetid on fresh surface) with thin calcareous shale and calcareous sandstone intercalations.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A highly fossiliferous, reefoid, clay-rich limestone with calcareous shale and sandstone intercalations that become dominant in the central Raskoh Range. Restricted to the Chagai-Raskoh Magmatic Province. Named by the Hunting Survey Corporation (1960); type locality near Jalwar, Kharan district.

Fossils

Assilina granulosa Assilina exponens Assilina elliptica Fasciolites oblonga Discocyclina ranikotensis Flosculina globosa Lituonella douvillei Opertorbitolites douvillei

Contacts

In the Chagai Hills column

Shale / mudLimestoneIgneousFossils recordedConformable

Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type. 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

Chagai Hills

Basin: Not recorded
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: Not recorded
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

Not recorded

Sources (4)

Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
Malkani, M.S. (2020). Revised Stratigraphy and Mineral Resources of Balochistan Basin, Pakistan: An Update. Open Journal of Geology, 10, 784-828.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.

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: 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.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_kharanformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Kharan 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/kharan-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Hunting Survey Corporation (1960).

Below · older

Rakhshani Formation

Cretaceous–Paleogene

Above · younger

Khojak Formation

Paleogene