Zurati Formation
Eocene
Balochistan Basin · Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
Paleogene in the time scale →Cited in 2 sources Last reviewed Jul 17, 2026
- Rank
- formation
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Cenozoic · Paleogene · EoceneEocene
- Named by
- Hafeez et al. (1992)
- Type locality
- Zurati Koh / Tank-e-Zurati
- Thickness
- Not recorded
- Lithology
- Shale and sandstone (flysch).
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
An Eocene deep-sea shale-and-sandstone of the Makran wedge, between the Siahan and Hoshab shales.
Zurati formation is named after the Zurati Koh and Tank e Zurati M/11 by Hafez et al, 1995. Hunting Survey Corporation 1961 gave the composite name as Panjgur and Siahan shale. Hafeez et al 1992 separated the Siahan shale and Panjgur formation, but one unit arises complication exist in between these two formation. So it was named as Zurati formation. It comprises sandstone, shale, slates, and minor siltstone. The lower contact with the Wazhdad volcaniclastic formation and upper contact with the Hoshab shale is gradational and confirmable. Fossils are not observed but according to law of superposition, it seems to be middle to late Eocene age.
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
- Balochistan Basin
- Region
- Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
- Depositional environment
- deep marine
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
An Eocene flysch unit of the Makran wedge intermediate between the Siahan and Hoshab shales; originally grouped within the HSC 'Panjgur and Siahan shale'.
Research notes (1)
Field-by-field findings drawn from the cited literature. Every statement is traced to a registered source — follow a citation for the full reference.
Lithology (1)
-
Second Malkani reference (2020, same author as the 2017 baseline - not independent): the Zurati Formation = the Wazhdad Volcaniclastic Group (named after Zurati Koh, 31 M/11) - tuff, agglomerate, tuff breccia and tuffaceous sandstone/shale, dark green, ~1200-1500 m, Early-Late Eocene, of the Wazhdad magmatic arc.
Sources (2)
- Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
- Malkani, M.S. (2020). Revised Stratigraphy and Mineral Resources of Balochistan Basin, Pakistan: An Update. Open Journal of Geology, 10, 784-828.
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: 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). Zurati Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_zuratiformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Zurati 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/zurati-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Hafeez et al. (1992).
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