Pak-China Friendship Formation
Permian (inferred from position above the Lower Permian Gircha Formation)
Permian in the time scale →Cited in 1 source Last reviewed Aug 29, 2026
- Rank
- Not recorded
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Paleozoic · PermianPermian (inferred from position above the Lower Permian Gircha Formation)
- Named by
- Newly defined by Tahirkheli et al. (1990), Upper Hunza Valley.
- Type locality
- Road section ~3 km south of Dih, Upper Hunza Valley, northern Karakoram (Gilgit-Baltistan).
- Thickness
- 10 m (near Passu/Khaiber) to over 30 m (south of Dih)
- Lithology
- Quartzite and quartzitic sandstone with thin- to thick-bedded, medium- to fine-grained slates (weathering light yellowish-brown to brownish-grey); thin erratic conglomerate bands of sub-angular quartzite pebbles and slate chips in a siliceous matrix; locally intruded by granite, diorite and dolerite.
- Synonyms
- Dih Formation; PCF Formation
The Pak-China Friendship Formation (PCF Fm), also called the Dih Formation, was newly defined by Tahirkheli et al. (1990) in the Upper Hunza Valley to commemorate Pakistani–Chinese collaborative mapping. It occurs as isolated, tightly upfolded pockets within the Passu Slate on both flanks of the Sost Anticline, and comprises quartzite, quartzitic sandstone and slate with erratic conglomerate bands. Its lower contact with the Gircha Formation is faulted and its upper contact with the Passu Slate is unconformable and tectonic.
Fossils
Not recorded
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
- Not recorded
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
Not recorded
Research notes (1)
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)
-
Tahirkheli et al. (1990): the Pak-China Friendship Fm (a new unit; type section ~3 km S of Dih) occurs as upfolded pockets within the Passu Slate, above the Lower Permian Gircha Formation and below the Passu Slate; quartzite/quartzitic sandstone and slate with erratic conglomerate bands, 10 m (Passu/Khaiber) to >30 m (S of Dih). Fossils poorly preserved (age pending at time of publication); Permian is inferred from stratigraphic position. Lower contact with Gircha faulted; upper contact with Passu Slate unconformable and tectonic.
Tahirkheli, R.A.K., Sun Dongli, Pan Yushang, Deng Wanming, Zhang Yuquan, Baqri, S.R.H. & Dawood, H. (1990)
Sources (1)
- Tahirkheli, R.A.K., Sun Dongli, Pan Yushang, Deng Wanming, Zhang Yuquan, Baqri, S.R.H. & Dawood, H. (1990). Review of stratigraphy of the Upper Hunza Valley (UHV), NW Karakoram, Pakistan. Geological Bulletin, University of Peshawar, 23, 203-214.
Reviewer confidence: low
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.
Cite this unit
Qudsi, L. (2026). Pak-China Friendship Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_pakchinafriendshipformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Pak-China Friendship 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/pak-china-friendship-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Newly defined by Tahirkheli et al. (1990), Upper Hunza Valley..
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