Precambrian • Mesoproterozoic GSP memoir

Nanga Parbat Gneiss

Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Aug 2, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Precambrian · MesoproterozoicMesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic
Named by: Not recorded
Type locality: Nanga Parbat massif, Gilgit-Baltistan
Thickness: 2000+ m
Lithology: Paragneiss, pelitic schist, calc-silicate, quartzite, marble
Synonyms: Not recorded

The metasedimentary cover of the Nanga Parbat massif - paragneiss, pelitic schist, calc-silicate, quartzite and marble metamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies, originally deposited on the Indian-plate margin.

Cover sequence of the Nanga Parbat massif metamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies. Contains metasedimentary rocks originally deposited as continental shelf sediments on Indian Plate margin.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Nanga Parbat Massif column

MetamorphicConformable

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

Nanga Parbat Massif Indo-Pakistan Shield

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

See it in the field

Geoheritage site where this unit is exposed at outcrop.

Nanga Parbat–Haramosh Massif

Nanga Parbat Massif

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

Represents the metamorphosed continental-shelf cover of the Indian plate within the Nanga Parbat syntaxis; its protolith depositional age is only loosely constrained (Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic) and remains debated.

Sources (5)

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.
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.
Zeitler, P.K., Sutter, J.F., Williams, I.S., Zartman, R. & Tahirkheli, R.A.K. (1989). Geochronology and temperature history of the Nanga Parbat-Haramosh Massif, Pakistan. In: Malinconico, L.L. & Lillie, R.J. (eds) Tectonics of the Western Himalayas. Geological Society of America Special Paper 232, 1-22.
Madin, I.P., Lawrence, R.D. & Ur-Rehman, S. (1989). The northwestern Nanga Parbat-Haramosh massif; evidence for crustal uplift at the northwestern corner of the Indian craton. In: Malinconico, L.L. & Lillie, R.J. (eds) Tectonics of the Western Himalayas. Geological Society of America Special Paper 232, 169-182.

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: 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.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_nangaparbatgneiss,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Nanga Parbat Gneiss} --- 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/nanga-parbat-gneiss (accessed September 5, 2026).

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Paleoproterozoic