Talar Formation
Late Miocene (Messinian; ~6.7-5.3 Ma)
Balochistan Basin · Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
Neogene in the time scale →Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026
- Rank
- formation
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Cenozoic · Neogene · Late MioceneLate Miocene (Messinian; ~6.7-5.3 Ma)
- Named by
- HSC (1961)
- Type locality
- Makran Flysch Province, Balochistan Basin25.9842°N, 62.5113°E
- Thickness
- not less than 5000 m
- Lithology
- Clayey sandstone; sandstone, shale and mudstone.
- Synonyms
- Hinglaj Group (in part)
A Miocene–Pliocene shallow-marine sandstone capping the Makran sequence — a potential reservoir.
Talar Formation is named after the Talar gorge (31 K/10; HSC, 1961). It is considered equilent to Hinglaj group of HSC (1961). It consists of sandstone, shale, mudstone and shelly limestone. Its lower contact with Parkini and Chatti formations is transitional but at places sharp. The fossils like gastropods (Mollusks) and lamellibranches are common. The microforms are Miocene age diagnostic (HSC 1961). The age of the formation is Late Miocene to Early Pliocene.
Fossils
Not recorded
Contacts
Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type. 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
- Balochistan Basin
- Region
- Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
- Depositional environment
- shallow marine, shelf
- Coordinates
- 25.9842°N, 62.5113°E
See it in the field
Geoheritage sites where this unit is exposed at outcrop.
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
A potential shallow RESERVOIR unit of the Makran, with stacked sandstones above the deeper turbidite reservoirs.
Remarks
A Miocene–Pliocene shallow-marine sandstone capping the regressive Makran succession, recording the final shoaling of the accretionary wedge to near sea level.
Sources (6)
- Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
- Cromie, P. et al. (2022). Tectonostratigraphic Evolution and Hydrocarbon Prospectivity South of Gwadar Bay, Makran Accretionary Wedge, Offshore SW Pakistan. (petroleum-system study).
- OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
- Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
- Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.
- Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008). Stratigraphy and Historical Geology of Pakistan. Department & National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar. 524 pp. ISBN 978-969-9119.
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: Appears in a single-author Geological Survey of Pakistan memoir (Malkani & Mahmood 2017), not cross-confirmed against the Shah lexicon. The Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan is largely inactive, so documented provenance — not formal ratification — is the available signal.
Cite this unit
Qudsi, L. (2026). Talar Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_talarformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Talar 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/talar-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: HSC (1961).
Related units
Referenced in other successions
Overlain by Ormara Formation
Saved on this device only.