Marsikhel Formation
Early to Middle Cretaceous (Barremian-Albian; ~126.5-106.85 Ma)
Cretaceous in the time scale →Cited in 3 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026
- Rank
- formation
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Mesozoic · Cretaceous · Early to Middle CretaceousEarly to Middle Cretaceous (Barremian-Albian; ~126.5-106.85 Ma)
- Named by
- Ahmad et al. (2000)
- Type locality
- Marsi Khel village33.0417°N, 70.1750°E
- Thickness
- 250 m thick at the type locality. m
- Lithology
- Clayey limestone. It consists of light grey to dark grey, thin to medium-bedded limestone and greenish grey shale. In the lower portion, the limestone is micritic and arenaceous at places, and within the limestone alternate layers of light green shale are present, which are rich in belemnites. Ferruginous and calcareous sandstone is also present near the base.
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
Clayey limestone. It consists of light grey to dark grey, thin to medium-bedded limestone and greenish grey shale. In the lower portion, the limestone is micritic and arenaceous at places, and within the limestone alternate layers of light green shale are present, which are rich in belemnites. Ferruginous and calcareous sandstone is also present near the base. Reported only from Kurram Agency area in North Waziristan.
Fossils
Contacts
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
- Basin
- Not recorded
- Region
- Not recorded
- Depositional environment
- Not recorded
- Coordinates
- 33.0417°N, 70.1750°E
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
Not recorded
Research notes (5)
Field-by-field findings drawn from the cited literature. Every statement is traced to a registered source — follow a citation for the full reference.
Age & correlation (1)
-
CONFIRMED by Ahmad et al. (2000): the Marsi Khel Formation is a Cretaceous unit of the North Waziristan succession (type at Marsi Khel village), with Chashmai Kharsai and Zerghar. North Waziristan, not Zhob.
Type locality & location (1)
-
Ahmad et al. (2000): type locality near Marsi Khel village, North Waziristan — 33°02'30"N, 70°10'30"E (= 33.0417, 70.1750).
Stratigraphic contacts (2)
-
Indian Plate Lexicon (N.K. Siddiqui): Marsikhel Formation is conformably overlain by the Zerghar Formation (upper contact) and conformably underlain by the Chashmai Kharsai Formation (lower contact). The lower contact (overlies = Chashmai Kharsai Fm, an Early Cretaceous belemnite-shale unit distinct from the Eocene Chashmai Formation) is not yet wired because that unit is not in the dataset — pending its creation.
-
Ahmad et al. (2000): the Marsikhel Formation (belemnitic shale and limestone) conformably overlies the Chashmai Kharsai Formation and is conformably overlain by the Zerghar Formation. Name after Marsi Khel village. (introducedBy corrected 'Ahmed' -> 'Ahmad'.)
Distribution (1)
-
Province corrected from zhob-muslim-bagh to sulaiman: Ahmad et al. (2000) place this unit in NORTH WAZIRISTAN (Mirali-Miran Shah-Razmak), part of the western Axial/Sulaiman belt - not the Zhob-Muslimbagh area. (A dedicated Waziristan province could be added later.)
Sources (3)
- Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
- Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
- Ahmad, S., Ali, F., Rehman, N. & Gul, J. (2000). Lithostratigraphy of the Kurram Group along the Mirali-Miran Shah Road, North Waziristan Agency, NWFP, Pakistan. Geological Bulletin, University of Peshawar, 33, 79-86.
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
Qudsi, L. (2026). Marsikhel Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_marsikhelformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Marsikhel 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/marsikhel-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Ahmad et al. (2000).
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