Takatu Formation
Middle Jurassic (Toarcian to Bathonian). [NOTE: Upper Mazar Drik Member extends into Early Callovian] (Toarcian-Callovian; ~184.2-163.41 Ma)
Jurassic in the time scale →Cited in 4 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026
- Rank
- formation
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Mesozoic · Jurassic · Middle Jurassic (Toarcian to Bathonian)Middle Jurassic (Toarcian to Bathonian). [NOTE: Upper Mazar Drik Member extends into Early Callovian] (Toarcian-Callovian; ~184.2-163.41 Ma)
- Named by
- Not recorded
- Type locality
- Dara Manda Nallah
- Thickness
- 757-1,818 m
- Lithology
- Reef limestone. It is typically a massive, thick to very thick bedded dark limestone that gives a fetid smell on broken surface. The color varies from dark to very light grey and brown to brownish grey; intraformational conglomerates have been found in the Takatu Range. The texture varies from fine grained, sub-lithographic to oolitic. At places the limestone is reefal or biohermal. The massive m…
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
Reef limestone. It is typically a massive, thick to very thick bedded dark limestone that gives a fetid smell on broken surface. The color varies from dark to very light grey and brown to brownish grey; intraformational conglomerates have been found in the Takatu Range. The texture varies from fine grained, sub-lithographic to oolitic. At places the limestone is reefal or biohermal. The massive mound shaped body, which forms the main mass of Takatu Peak represents a bioherm, devoid of bedding and composed largely of algal limestone. At Ziarat the bioherm is composed of algae, sponges and othe…
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 (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)
Age & correlation (1)
-
Kazmi & Jan (1997): the Takatu Limestone (Middle Jurassic; type section Dara Manda south of Bostan; named Chiltan Limestone by HSC 1960, renamed by Shah 1987) is 750–1,800 m of massive dark-to-cream sublithographic to oolitic limestone, locally reefal, conformably overlying the Shirinab Formation and overlain by the Callovian–Bathonian Mazar Drik Formation.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997)
Sources (3)
- 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.
Cite this unit
Qudsi, L. (2026). Takatu Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_takatulimestone,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Takatu 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/takatu-limestone (accessed October 29, 2026).
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