Patala Formation

Baseline age 'Cretaceous–Paleocene' over-extends the formation: the Patala Formation is Late Paleocene (Thanetian). The 'Cretaceous' component reflects bundling with underlying units. Age needs review.

Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997)

Afzal, Williams & Aldridge (2009) show the Patala Formation spans the Paleocene-Eocene boundary: shallow benthonic Zones SBZ4-SBZ6, planktonic Zones P4c-P6b, nannofossil NP8-NP12, giving a late Thanetian to early Ypresian range (maximum age late Thanetian-early Ypresian). It represents deep-marine clastics that buried the underlying Lockhart carbonate platform. This extends the curated Late Paleocene (Thanetian) assignment slightly into the earliest Eocene; curated age retained pending review.

Afzal, J., Williams, M. & Aldridge, R.J. (2009)

Hanif et al. (2012): the dinocyst zones Pak-DV and Pak-DVI (late to latest Thanetian) and Pak-DVII (early Ypresian) recognised at Rakhi Nala correlate directly with the Pak-DV to Pak-DVII zones of Köthe et al. (1988) from the Patala Formation of the Upper Indus Basin, tying the top of the Dungan Formation to the Patala Formation across the basin. Apectodinium augustum (the PETM marker) is reported from the Patala at Nammal Gorge (Edwards 2007), though absent at Rakhi Nala.

Hanif, M., Hart, M.B., Grimes, S.T. & Leng, M.J. (2012)

Munir, Baig & Mirza (2005-06): in Azad Kashmir the Paleocene-Eocene boundary lies within the upper Patala Formation, marked by the extinction of Lockhartia haimei and Miscellanea miscella and the first appearance of Nummulites atacicus and N. mammillatus (which continue into the basal Margala Hill Limestone).

Munir, M.-H., Baig, M.S

Munir et al. (2006): Late Paleocene khaki-to-dark-grey splintery shales with nodular limestone, marl and workable coal; fauna Lockhartia haimei/conditi, Miscellanea miscella, Ranikothalia nuttalli, Operculina patalensis and Discocyclina ranikotensis; cyclic sedimentation in oscillating shelf lagoons and delta-swamps. The Paleocene–Eocene boundary is placed at the Patala/Margala Hill contact.

Munir, M.H., Baig, M.S. & Mirza, K. (2006)

Type-section thickness (Shah, 2009): ~150 m at type locality. Recorded from the GSP lexicon (Memoir 22); the existing thickness field is retained.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Geocoded (low confidence) from the published type locality "Patala Nala, Salt Range" via public gazetteer (OpenStreetMap / GEOnet Names Server). Named-place point of ~km accuracy for regional screening, not a surveyed section; author-reviewed in the coordinate-verification pass. Basis: Patala Nala, Salt Range.

OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.

Sameeni (1989): the Upper Paleocene Patala Formation, overlying the Lockhart Limestone in Hazara, the Kala Chitta Range and the Salt Range, carries the same Upper Paleocene foraminiferal assemblage, including Eoannularia eocenica (at the upper end of its range) with Lockhartia haimei, Miscellanea miscella and Ranikothalia sindensis.

Sameeni, S.J. (1989)

Malik (1989): coal in the shaly middle of the Late Paleocene Patala Formation is worked across the Salt Range (~80 km E-W; Dandot, Ara, Diljaba, Dalwal, Padrar, Katha-Pail; combined ~87 Mt), Cherat, the Kala Chitta Hills and Kotli (Azad Kashmir) - one to two workable seams up to ~1.5 m. The Kotli coal is exceptionally matured to bituminous/anthracite rank by severe tectonism at the Hazara-Kashmir Syntaxis.

Malik, I.A. (1989)

Craig et al. (2018): the Palaeocene Patala Formation ('Patala Shale') is regarded as the primary source rock of the Potwar Basin - average TOC ~1.4 wt.%, Type II and Type III kerogen (Fazeelat et al. 2010; OGDC 1996), reaching maximum burial into the oil window at ~2 Ma (Law et al. 1998); in the Meyal area its thermally mature interval is a shale-gas prospect (Ali et al. 2017). This 'primary' status is qualified, however: oils from the Dhurnal, Pindori, Bhangali and Adhi fields contain <0.2% sulphur and differ in biomarkers from Patala-sourced oils, indicating more than one active source system in the basin (Khan et al. 1986; Malik et al. 1988; Fazeelat et al. 2010).

Craig, J., Hakhoo, N., Bhat, G.M., Hafiz, M., Khan, M.R., Misra, R., Pandita, S.K., Raina, B.K., Thurow, J., Thusu, B., Ahmed, W. & Khullar, S. (2018)