Precambrian • Neoproterozoic group In GSP lexicon

Sharaban Group

Neoproterozoic

Indo-Pakistan Shield

Part of Machh Super Group

Neoproterozoic in the time scale →

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Under review
Age: Precambrian · NeoproterozoicNeoproterozoic
Named by: Alam et al. (1992)
Type locality: Kirana Hills, Punjab platform (Sargodha High region), central Pakistan.
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Quartzites, slates, conglomerates and lava flows (includes the Hadda quartzite and the Sharban Formation).
Synonyms: Sharban Group

A Precambrian subdivision of the Kirana basement — the Hadda quartzite and Sharban Formation.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Indo-Pakistan Shield column

IgneousMetamorphicContact 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.

Constituent units

Formations that make up this group, in stratigraphic order (youngest at top, as in the column).

Distribution & setting

Indo-Pakistan Shield

Basin: Indo-Pakistan Shield
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: marginal marine, metamorphic
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

One of the two subdivisions (with the Kirana Group) of the Precambrian Kirana Complex of the Indo-Pakistan shield, comprising the Hadda quartzite and the Sharban Formation.

Research notes (3)

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)

Constituent units (1)

Revised Kirana Complex scheme (Chaudhry, Ahsan & Rehman 2022, Table 4): the Sharaban Group (upper Machh Super Group) comprises the Chak 102 Conglomerate over the Hadda Quartzite.

Chaudhry, M.N., Ahsan, N. & Rehman, S.U. (2022)

Geological significance (1)

Kazmi & Jan (1997): the book spells this 'Sharaban' and treats it as a FORMATION within the Kirana Group (one of five — Hachi, Taguwali, Asianwala, Hadda and Sharaban; Alam 1983), NOT a stand-alone group — a rank correction for the DB record. The Kirana Group (>2,330 m of phyllites, slates, quartzites and subordinate conglomerates and volcanics) of the Kirana Hills yields a Rb/Sr date of 870 ± 40 Ma (Davies & Crawford 1971), consistent with the curated Neoproterozoic age.

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

Sources (4)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Chaudhry, M.N., Ahsan, N. & Rehman, S.U. (2022). Revised Stratigraphy of Sargodha-Chiniot Area, Punjab, Pakistan. The Geological Bulletin of the Punjab University, 2022, pp. 1-9.
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.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_sharbangroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Sharaban Group} --- 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/sharban-group (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Alam et al. (1992).