Coastal / island geosite Cenozoic

Astola Island

Makran Coast · also Jazira Haft Talar · Satadip

Pakistan's largest offshore island, an uplifted table of Miocene–Pliocene Makran strata rising ~80 m from the Arabian Sea. Its wave-cut cliffs and terraces record the rapid coastal uplift of the Makran accretionary margin; it is a designated Marine Protected Area.

ScenicScientific

Uplifted Makran Group sediments forming a mesa-like island
Marine terraces recording coastal tectonic uplift
Pakistan's first Marine Protected Area (nesting turtles, seabirds)

The geology here

The stratigraphic units exposed at this site — every geological fact above traces to their cited sources.

Talar Formation

Late Miocene (Messinian; ~6.7-5.3 Ma)

Clayey sandstone; sandstone, shale and mudstone.

Parkini Formation

Late Miocene (Tortonian-Messinian; ~11.6-6.7 Ma)

Predominantly mudstone (sandy claystone); massive upper-Miocene slope mudstones blanketing the Panjgur fan complex.

Quantitative assessment

Scored with the Brilha (2016) method — each value 0–400. Desk-based first pass; the full score matrix ships with the open dataset.

Scientific value 205/400 · 51.3%

Educational use 235/400 · 58.8%

Touristic use 260/400 · 65%

Degradation risk 170/400 · 42.5%

High priority

Nearby geosites

Chandragup Mud Volcanoes & Hingol

217 km · Active geological process (mud volcano, seismicity)

Pab Range

323 km · Type or reference section of a named unit

Kirthar Range & National Park

381 km · Distinctive erosional/structural landform or scenery

This geosite is an editorial selection; the geological facts trace to the cited sources on the linked unit pages. Coordinates are indicative and not surveyed. ← All geosites · Suggest a correction