Cenozoic • Neogene Literature

Malthanai Formation

Late Miocene to Pliocene

Pishin–Katawaz Basin · Pishin Belt

Cited in 3 sources Last reviewed Aug 2, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Neogene · Late Miocene–PlioceneLate Miocene to Pliocene
Named by: Kasi et al. (2012), renaming the 'Multana Formation' of the Hunting Survey Corporation (1960)
Type locality: Oblin Nala section near Malthanai village, Pishin Belt (type section; published location N 31 deg 02 min 15 sec E 69 deg 04 min 41 sec, coordinate not independently confirmed); ~2,500 m thick.
Thickness: ~2,500 m (Oblin Nala type section)
Lithology: Sandstone (lithic arenite) with subordinate mudstone and conglomerate; fluvial.
Synonyms: Multana Formation

A Miocene–Pliocene fluvial sandstone-dominated unit of the Pishin Belt, northern Balochistan, named by Kasi et al. (2012) after the village of Malthanai near its type section; it replaces the earlier 'Multana Formation' of Jones (1961). Sandstones are lithic arenites.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Zhob-Muslim Bagh column

SandstoneShale / mudConglomerateContact 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

Zhob-Muslim Bagh

Basin: Pishin–Katawaz Basin
Region: Pishin Belt
Depositional environment: fluvial
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The Late Miocene–Pliocene fluvial molasse forming Zone IV of the Pishin Belt — roughly equal proportions of reddish-grey sandstone and red mudstone/siltstone with upward-coarsening conglomerate (chert/jasper-rich clasts). Renamed by Kasi et al. (2012) from the Hunting Survey Corporation's (1960) 'Multana Formation', whose lower and upper contacts with the Nisai Formation are thrusted.

Research notes (2)

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)

= the ‘Multana Formation’ of Jones (1961); renamed the Malthanai Formation by Kasi et al. (2012) after Malthanai village. The Simzai-area report (Ali et al. 2021) spells it ‘Multana’ and gives an Oligocene–Miocene range.

Kasi, A.K., Kassi, A.M., Friis, H., Kakar, M.I. & Manan, R.A. (2014)

Lithology (1)

Kasi et al. (2017): the Pliocene Malthanai Formation is a lithic arenite (modal Qt60F4L36), comparatively richer in lithic fragments and poorer in feldspar than the underlying Dasht Murgha Group, with sedimentary lithics dominant (Lm14Lv10Ls76) — reflecting widespread reworking of older sedimentary rocks (Nisai, Khojak) during Malthanai times in the recycled-orogen Pishin foreland.

Kasi, A.K., Kassi, A.M., Friis, H. & Manan, R.A. (2017)

Sources (2)

Kasi, A.K., Kassi, A.M., Friis, H., Kakar, M.I. & Manan, R.A. (2014). Clay minerals assemblage in the Neogene fluvial succession of the Pishin Belt, Pakistan: implications for provenance. Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences, 47(2), 63-73.
Kasi, A.K., Kassi, A.M., Umar, M., Manan, R.A. & Kakar, M.I. (2012). Revised lithostratigraphy of the Pishin Belt, northwestern Pakistan. Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences, 45(1), 53-65.

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: Defined in journal or other literature; not found in a GSP memoir. There is no body currently ratifying unit status, so provenance is shown in place of a formal ruling.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_malthanaiformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Malthanai 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/malthanai-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Kasi et al. (2012), renaming the 'Multana Formation' of the Hunting Survey Corporation (1960).

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