Mesozoic • Cretaceous–Paleogene formation In GSP lexicon

Rakhshani Formation

Paleocene (Danian-Thanetian; ~65.2-56.0 Ma)

Balochistan Basin · Chagai-Raskoh Magmatic Arc

Cretaceous–Paleogene in the time scale →

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Mesozoic · Cretaceous–Paleogene · PaleocenePaleocene (Danian-Thanetian; ~65.2-56.0 Ma)
Named by: HSC (1961)
Type locality: Rakhshani area, eastern Dalbandin valley (Chagai-Raskoh)
Thickness: 150-2400 m
Lithology: Shale and sandstone with grey-black clayey limestone beds (lower); conglomerate, basaltic-andesitic lava flows, tuffs and volcanic agglomerates.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Cretaceous–Paleocene flysch of the Chagai–Raskoh arc, part of the host succession for the region's copper deposits.

Named after the Rakhshani belt at the eastern end of the Dalbandin valley (HSC, 1961), the Rakhshani Formation is a turbidite sequence of interbedded sandstone, shale, mudstone and limestone with andesitic lava flows and volcaniclastics. It yields foraminifera (e.g. Alveolina vredenburgi, Miscellanea miscella), bivalves and gastropods, with Danian fossils in the lower beds indicating a Late Cretaceous–Paleocene age. It correlates with the Jabrai Formation of the Nisai Group.

Fossils

Alveolina vredenburgi Flosculina globosa Miscellanea miscella Saudia labyrinthica

Contacts

In the Chagai Hills column

Shale / mudLimestoneIgneousFossils recordedContact not recorded

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

Chagai Hills

Basin: Balochistan Basin
Region: Chagai-Raskoh Magmatic Arc
Depositional environment: marine, volcanic-arc
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

An early flysch succession of the Chagai–Raskoh arc spanning the Cretaceous–Paleocene; its Juzzak Formation is one of the sedimentary wall rocks to the arc's porphyry copper systems.

Research notes (2)

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)

Kazmi & Jan (1997): the Rakhshani Formation (Paleocene; Chagai and Ras Koh, forming the bulk of the Ras Koh Range) is green-grey medium-coarse sandstone with lava flows, tuffs and agglomerates and subordinate argillaceous limestone, conformably overlying the Cretaceous Humai Formation (or Kuchakki Volcanic Group / Kharan Formation) and overlain by the Eocene Saindak Formation; forams Alveolina vredenburgi, Miscellanea miscella.

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

Thickness (1)

Type-section thickness (Shah, 2009): 150 m to >1,600 m; >2,400 m south of Rabat (thickest). Recorded from the GSP lexicon (Memoir 22); the existing thickness field is retained.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Sources (5)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Perelló, J., Razique, A., Schloderer, J. et al. (2008). The Chagai Porphyry Copper Belt, Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. Economic Geology, 103(8), 1583-1612.
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.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.

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.

Spotted an error? Suggest a sourced correction →

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_rakhshaniformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Rakhshani 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/rakhshani-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: HSC (1961).

Below · older

Humai Formation

Cretaceous

Above · younger

Saindak Formation

Paleogene

Referenced in other successions

Overlain by Kharan Formation