Cenozoic • Paleogene formation In GSP lexicon

Lakhra Formation

Paleocene

Kirthar Basin · Eastern Kirthar (Sindh)

Part of Ranikot Group

Paleogene in the time scale →

Cited in 9 sources Last reviewed Aug 9, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · PaleocenePaleocene
Named by: Cheema et al. (1977)
Type locality: Southern Lakhra anticline25.5458°N, 68.0042°E
Thickness: 50–242 m
Lithology: Grey, thin- to thick-bedded nodular, sandy and locally argillaceous fossiliferous limestone with sandstone and shale interbeds in the upper part.
Synonyms: Not recorded

The top, limestone unit of the Paleocene Ranikot Group, rich in foraminifera, corals and molluscs.

Lakhra Formation It was named by Ahmad and Ghani (Written communication in 1971 to Cheema et al. 1977) after Lakhra of Laki Range. It includes the upper Ranikot limestone of Vredenburg (1906) and upper Ranikot of lator workers, upper Ranikot formation of HSC (1961). It consists of dominant limestone with minor shale. It is correlated with Dungan Limestone of western Kirthar and Sulaiman basin. Its lower contact with Bara Formation is transitional and upper contact with Sohnar Gaj Formation is disconformable. For fossils pl. see the Dungan Formation in western Kirthar. Its age is Late Paleocene.

Fossils

Foraminifera Corals Molluscs

Contacts

In the Sindh Province column

SandstoneLimestoneIgneousFossils 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

Sindh Province

Basin: Kirthar Basin
Region: Eastern Kirthar (Sindh)
Depositional environment: shallow marine
Coordinates: 25.5458°N, 68.0042°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 upper, marine-limestone unit of the Paleocene Ranikot Group in the Kirthar/Sindh region.

Sources (9)

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.
OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
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.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008). Stratigraphy and Historical Geology of Pakistan. Department & National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar. 524 pp. ISBN 978-969-9119.
Brohi, I.A., Solangi, S.H., Bablani, S.A., Agheem, M.H., Sahito, A.G. & Brohi, A.U. (2012). Geological and Stratigraphical Studies of Dimension and Cut Stone Deposits Around Khanu Brohi and Khadhar Areas, District Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series), 44(4), 623-628.
Malik, I.A. (1989). Geodynamics and Coal Deposits of Pakistan. Geological Bulletin of the Punjab University, 24, 12-43.

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.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_lakhraformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Lakhra 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/lakhra-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Cheema et al. (1977).

Below · older

Bara Formation

Paleogene

Above · younger

Laki Formation