Paleozoic • Permian formation In GSP lexicon

Shaksgam Formation

Permian

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Central Karakoram Batholith

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Permian · PermianPermian
Named by: Auden (1938)
Type locality: Shaksgam valley, north of K2, between the Karakoram and Aghil ranges36.0277°N, 76.4693°E
Thickness: 600–1000 m
Lithology: Thick-bedded fossiliferous limestone with marl, siltstone and sandstone; cherty nodules occur near the top.
Synonyms: Not recorded

The main Permian limestone of the eastern Karakoram, north of K2, packed with fusulinid microfossils.

Shaksgam formation is named after the Shaksgam valley north of K2 between Karakoram and Aghil ranges by Auden (1938), represents 600-1000m thick limestone, marl, siltstone and sandstone of Lower to Permian age.

Fossils

Parafusulina sp.Paraschwagerina sp.Neoschwagerina sp.

Contacts

In the Karakoram column

Shale / mudMetamorphicLimestoneMixedFossils 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

Karakoram

Basin: Karakoram-Hindukush Basin
Region: Central Karakoram Batholith
Depositional environment: marine, shallow marine
Coordinates: 36.0277°N, 76.4693°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The principal Permian carbonate of the eastern Karakoram (Shaksgam–Aghil region); its fusulinid-bearing limestones are capped by cherty limestone (named the Staghar Cherty Limestone) and are overlain by Triassic rocks.

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.

Name & nomenclature (1)

Attested in Shah (2009), Geological Survey of Pakistan Memoir 22 - the Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan's compiled lexicon (listed in the memoir's contents). Adds the definitional GSP/SCP lexicon citation.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Type locality & location (1)

Type-locality coordinate set from reviewer-supplied GPS (36.027717 N, 76.469298 E), Shaksgam valley, eastern Karakoram.

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

Sources (4)

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.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 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.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_shaksgamformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Shaksgam 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/shaksgam-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Auden (1938).

Above · younger

Staghar Cherty Limestone