Cenozoic • Paleogene In GSP lexicon

Nari Formation

Oligocene

Cited in 9 sources Last reviewed Aug 4, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · OligoceneOligocene
Named by: Blanford (1876)
Type locality: Gaj River gorge, Kirthar Range26.8750°N, 67.3200°E
Thickness: 300-500 m
Lithology: Brown, fine- to coarse-grained sandstone in the upper part with shale and subordinate limestone below.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A widespread Oligocene sandstone-and-shale above the Kirthar limestone — coal-bearing and a reservoir.

Named after Nari River. Clastic sequence marking transition from open marine to restricted conditions. Records Tethys closure in lower Indus.

Fossils

Foraminifera Molluscs Shark teeth

Contacts

In the Kirthar Range column

LimestoneSandstoneMixedFossils 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

Kirthar Range Sindh Province

Basin: Not recorded
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: marginal marine, deltaic
Coordinates: 26.8750°N, 67.3200°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Reservoir Coal & lignite

Contains workable coal seams (Nari coal) and forms reservoir intervals.

Remarks

A widespread Oligocene sandstone-shale unit conformably overlying the Kirthar Formation; marks the onset of clastic, marginal-marine deposition before the Miocene Gaj Formation.

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.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Ahmedani, S.B., Hakro, A.A.A.D., Mastoi, A.S., Halepoto, A.A., Sahito, A.G., Akhtar, S. & Lashari, R.A. (2025). Clastic Source and Depositional Environment of Mixed Carbonate-Clastic Sequences in the Oligocene Nari Formation from the Hundi Anticline, Karachi Embayment, Indus Basin, Pakistan. Earth Sciences Research Journal, 29(2), 149-167.
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.
Ahmedani, S.B., Agheem, M.H., Hakro, A.A.A.D., Halepoto, A.A., Lashari, R.A. & Thebo, G.M. (2024). Integrated Petrographical, Mineralogical, and Geochemical Investigation to Evaluate Diagenesis of Sandstone: A Case Study of the Oligocene Nari Formation from Southern Kirthar Range, Pakistan. Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences, 57(1), 1-22.

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). Nari Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_nariformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Nari 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/nari-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).

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

Below · older

Kirthar Formation

Paleogene

Above · younger

Gaj Formation

Neogene