Cenozoic • Neogene formation GSP memoir

Manchar Formation

Miocene-Pliocene

Kirthar Basin

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Neogene · Miocene-PlioceneMiocene-Pliocene
Named by: Blanford (1876)
Type locality: Manchhar (Manchar) Lake area, Sindh26.4230°N, 67.6730°E
Thickness: 1000-2000 m
Lithology: Sandstone, clay, conglomerate (continental)
Synonyms: Manchar Group; Manchhar Formation; Manchhar Series

The Sindh version of the Siwalik molasse - Miocene-Pliocene river sandstones and clays around Manchhar Lake that carry the same kinds of mammal fossils as the Potwar Siwaliks.

Continental molasse in lower Indus basin. Equivalent to Siwalik Group. Contains mammal fossils.

Fossils

Siwalik-type mammal fossils

Contacts

In the Sindh Province column

SandstoneShale / 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

Sindh Province Kirthar Range

Basin: Kirthar Basin
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: fluvial, continental
Coordinates: 26.4230°N, 67.6730°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The Miocene-Pliocene continental molasse of the lower Indus Basin, originally named the 'Manchhar Series' by Blanford (1876) after Manchhar Lake; it is the Sindh equivalent of the Siwalik Group. Poorly consolidated, fine- to medium-grained sandstone, clay and conglomerate overlie the marine Gaj Formation and yield Siwalik-type mammal fossils.

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)

Merged duplicate unit "Manchar Group" (manchar-group) into this record. Sources, provinces and any missing fields were carried over; the old name is retained as a synonym.

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017)

Age & correlation (1)

Brohi et al. (2009): the Manchar Formation (Upper Miocene; book/paper spelling 'Manchar') caps the marine Tertiary section on the Surjan Anticline (Thano Bula Khan), overlying the Gaj Formation and underlying the Pleistocene Dada Conglomerate. Consistent with the curated Mio–Pliocene age.

Brohi, I.A., Bablani, S.A. & Solangi, S.H. (2009)

Sources (6)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
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.
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., Bablani, S.A. & Solangi, S.H. (2009). Geology and Economic Significance of Tertiary Rocks, Khorwari Section, Surjan Anticline, Thano Bula Khan, Sindh. Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series), 41(1), 95-106.

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: 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.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_mancharformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Manchar 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/manchar-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Blanford (1876).

Below · older

Gaj Formation

Neogene