Wakhan Formation
Palaeozoic–Early Triassic
Cited in 3 sources Last reviewed Aug 29, 2026
- Rank
- Not recorded
- Status
- Published
- Age
- PaleozoicPalaeozoic–Early Triassic
- Named by
- Wakhan slates of Hayden (1915); characterised by Gaetani et al. (1996) and Mujtaba et al. (2024).
- Type locality
- Wakhan / Upper Chitral, from Tirich Mir to the Chapursan valley (Hindu Kush–northern Karakoram).
- Thickness
- Not recorded
- Lithology
- Dark grey homogeneous slate, siltstone and quartzite with occasional calcareous schists; carbonaceous quartzitic slates with minor greenish sandstone (ripple marks) and white quartzite; grades northward into gneiss.
- Synonyms
- Wakhan Slates
The Wakhan Formation (the "Wakhan slates" of Hayden, 1915) is a thick, widespread succession of dark slates, siltstones and sandstones forming a continuous belt from Tirich Mir west to the Chapursan valley in Upper Chitral / northern Karakoram, where it may continue as the Misgar slates. Part of the Karakoram Plate's Northern Sedimentary Belt, it is faulted against the Atark carbonate body and intruded by the East Hindu Kush batholith. Fossil evidence indicates Permian and Early Triassic ages, though it is mainly Palaeozoic.
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 (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.
Age & correlation (2)
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Mujtaba et al. (2024): the Wakhan Formation (Karakoram Plate, northernmost NSB unit; Hayden 1915) is dark grey homogeneous slate, siltstone and quartzite with occasional calcareous schists, grading N into gneiss and faulted against the Atark carbonate body; attributed to the Early Triassic with possible extension into the Late Permian (Kafarskiy 1976).
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Hildebrand et al. (2001): the metamorphic host rocks of the eastern Hindu Kush (the Arkari Formation of Leake et al. 1989 — staurolite-grade schists grading SW into sillimanite-K-feldspar migmatites) are regarded as the southwestward, higher-grade continuation of the Wakhan slates, which carry Permian-Triassic fossils and crop out NW of the Tirich Mir fault. These host rocks were intruded by the ~24 Ma Garam Chashma leucogranite, dating Miocene crustal melting in the Hindu Kush. Corroborates the Permian-Triassic Wakhan age and its regional metamorphic context.
Hildebrand, P.R., Noble, S.R., Searle, M.P., Parrish, R.R. & Shakirullah (2001)
Lithology (1)
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Gaetani et al. (1996): the Wakhan slates (Hayden 1915) are a huge succession of dark/carbonaceous quartzitic black slates with subordinate siltite, sandstone (ripple marks) and white quartzite, from Tirich Mir W to the Chapursan valley (continuing as the Misgar slates, a possible younger synonym). Mainly Palaeozoic, with fossil evidence for Permian and Early Triassic; intruded by the East Hindu Kush batholith (Shushar pluton, Jurassic K/Ar muscovite).
Gaetani, M., Le Fort, P., Tanoli, S., Angiolini, L., Nicora, A., Sciunnach, D. & Khan, A. (1996)
Sources (2)
- Gaetani, M., Le Fort, P., Tanoli, S., Angiolini, L., Nicora, A., Sciunnach, D. & Khan, A. (1996). Reconnaissance geology in Upper Chitral, Baroghil and Karambar districts (northern Karakorum, Pakistan). Geologische Rundschau, 85, 683-704.
- Mujtaba, A., Gilani, S.N., Hafeez, M., Khan, I., Shah, A., Khan, S., Gillani, S.A.A. & Gul, M.A. (2024). Geochemical and Petrographic Analysis of Hydrothermal Mineralization in the Chitral Region, Northern Pakistan. Advancements in Mining & Mineral Engineering, 1(3), AMME.MS.ID.000513.
Reviewer confidence: medium
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: Defined in journal or other literature; not found in a GSP memoir. There is no body currently ratifying unit status, so provenance is shown in place of a formal ruling.
Cite this unit
Qudsi, L. (2026). Wakhan Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_wakhanformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Wakhan 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/wakhan-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Wakhan slates of Hayden (1915); characterised by Gaetani et al. (1996) and Mujtaba et al. (2024)..
Related units
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