Cenozoic Period

The Paleogene in Pakistan

66 – 23 Ma

From 66 to 23 million years ago — the recovery and radiation of life after the end-Cretaceous extinction, under warm “greenhouse” climates.

In Pakistan

This is Pakistan’s great nummulitic-limestone interval — the Paleocene Ranikot Group and Patala Formation, then the Eocene Chorgali, Sakesar, Kirthar and Habib Rahi limestones whose larger foraminifera host much of the country’s oil and gas (the Sui gas field among them). The India–Asia collision falls within the Paleogene, and it is the age of Pakistan’s famous early whales (Pakicetus, Ambulocetus).

This reference records 71 units assigned to the Paleogene across 8 basins, most commonly limestone, evaporite, sandstone.

On the time scale → Correlate provinces → Filter all units →

At a glance

71
units: 8
basins: 13
provinces: 34
georeferenced: 48
with fossils: 65
type localities: 3,950 m
max thickness: 74
sources

Rock types

limestone (26)
evaporite (14)
sandstone (12)
conglomerate (11)
metamorphic rocks (5)
igneous rocks (1)
marl (1)

Based on the primary lithology recorded for each unit; some units span more than one rock type.

Fossils recorded

Nummulites
Discocyclina
Actinocyclina
Barbatia drougensis
Gosavia humberti
turritellid gastropods
Very rich vertebrate fauna ('Bugti Beds')
Early Eocene mammals
Sparse fauna
Mammal fossils
Plant fossils
Rotalia crookshankiana
Nummulites beaumonti
Nummulites subbeaumonti
Alveolina elliptica
Dictyoconoides cooki
Foraminifera
Bivalves
Bryozoans
Echinoids
Walking whales (Ambulocetus)
Basilosaurids
Larger foraminifera
Larger benthic foraminifera (Alveolina, Nummulites, Discocyclina, Assilina, Ranikothalia, Miscellanea, Lockhartia)

+77 more across the Paleogene units.

Units of the Paleogene

Provinces — Azad Kashmir · Chagai Hills · Hazara Basin · Karakoram · Kirthar Range · Kohat Basin · Kohistan Arc · Makran Coast · Potwar Basin · Salt Range · Sindh Province · Sulaiman Fold Belt · Zhob-Muslim Bagh.