Field Report BS VII

Submitted by:Shahid Ali

Mohsin MujtabaUmair JaswalAadil Anwar

Shoaib Rathore

BS VII Field Report: Hazara Basin

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Zafar, Dr. Hanif, Mr. Mohsin Munir & Mr. Anwar Qadir for arranging this educational field trip and helping us in understanding the Geology of the assigned area with their proficiency and expert opinions.

Geological Field Report

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Table of ContentsIntroduction:...........................................................................5

Physiography of Hazara Area...........................................6

Geography and climate...................................................6

Population:.........................................................................6

Stratigraphy of Hazara Range.........................................9

Introduction..........................................................................9

Previous work.......................................................................10

Day I and Day II...................................................................11

Stratigraphic Notes............................................................12

Pre-Cambrian Rocks........................................................12

Hazara Formation..........................................................12

Tanawal Formation.......................................................13

Cambrian Rocks..................................................................15

Abbottabad Formation...................................................15

Hazara Formation............................................................16

Jurassic Rocks......................................................................17

Datta Formation...............................................................17

Shinawari Formation.......................................................18


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Day III and Day IV...............................................................21

Samana Suk Formation..................................................22

Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous Rocks.........................24

Kawagarh Formation.......................................................24

Upper Paleocene Rocks....................................................25

Lockhart Limestone.........................................................25

Patala Formation..............................................................26

Miocene Rocks.....................................................................29

Murree Formation............................................................29

Introduction:


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The objectives for that field trip were to study and observe the Lithology, depositional condition, sedimentary structures, rock types, contacts and fossils of these areas.

Another objective of our field trip was to enhance our knowledge and to strong our grip on Stratigraphy subject, especially to concentrate on geology of hazara range and to study the structures, Lithology, depositional environments and rock types.

The areas were easily accessible and we went there through university bus. The journey was pleasant and smooth. The field which we visited was unsteady; rocky along the mountains.


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Physiography of Hazara Area

Geography and climateHazara is bounded on the north and east by the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir. To the south are the Islamabad Capital Territory and the province of Punjab, whilst to the west lies the rest of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Because it lies immediately south of the main Himalaya Range, and is exposed to moist winds from the Arabian Sea, Hazara is the wettest part of Pakistan. At Abbottabad, annual rainfall averages around 1,200mm (47 inches) but has been as high as 1,800mm (70 inches), whilst in parts of Mansehra District such as Balakot the mean annual rainfall is as high as 1,750mm (68 inches). Due to its location on the boundary between the monsoonal summer rainfall regime of East Asia and the winter-dominant Mediterranean climate of West Asia, Hazara has an unusual bimodal rainfall regime, with one peak in February or March associated with frontal southwest cloudbands and another monsoonal peak in July and August. The driest months are October to December, though in the wettest parts even these months average around 40mm (1.6 inches).


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Population:

The population of the Hazara region was estimated to be over 4.5 million in 2005. The total area of Hazara is 18013 km²: See table below.

Hazara region: StatisticsDistrict Area (km²) Population

(Millions)Abbottabad 1802 1Batagram 1310 0.5Haripur 1763 0.7Kohistan 7581 0.6Mansehra 5957 1.4

The tribes in Hazara are Gujjar, Awan, Turk, Durrani, Tanoli, Dhund Abbasi, Syed, Jadoon, Karlal, Kashmiri, Khan Khel, Qureshi, Gakhar, Swati, Tareen, Mughal, Mashwani, Tahirkheli, Dilazak,


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Panni, Bib, Sarrara, Utmanzai, Hassanzai and Nusrat Khel [Bakhshi khil].

Afghan refugees, although predominantly Persian (including the Ghilzai and Durrani tribes), and other smaller groups are found throughout the Division. There is a considerable presence of Tajiks, Uzbeks (Mazar-e-Sharif Restaurant) and Hazara (Afghan) in the area.

The population of Hazara was estimated to be over 4.5 million in 2005.

The University of Hazara provides higher education to people of the region.

Hazara lies close to the crossroads formed by the river Indus and the Grand Trunk Road. The Karakoram Highway begins at the town of Havelian and goes north through the division towards China via the Northern Areas.

Geomorphic Features in Hazara Area

Braided River

A braided river is one of a number of channel types and has a channel that consists of a network of small channels separated by small and often temporary islands called braid bars. We observed Dor River in Abbottabad.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_(river_morphology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_(geography)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_types

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Stratigraphy of Hazara Range

IntroductionHazara range is the northern most extremity of sedimentary succession of the North-western margin of the Indian plate. It is bounded by its north by the Panjal thrust on its southern side, by the main boundary thrust. The main highway from Rawalpindi to Peshawar is the dividing line between western limit of the Hazara range and the Kalachita Range. The staratigraphy of the hazara range start form Precambrian age(hazara Geological Field Report

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formation) and ends at Miocene age (Murree formation).

List of Observed Formations in Hazara Range

The following formations were observed in Hazara range.

1.Tanawal formation2.Chichali formation3.Lumshiwal formation4.Kawagarh formation5.Hungu formation6.Lockart limestone7.Patala formation8.Samana Suk

Previous workThe project area has remained a site of deep interest for the geologists working on stratigraphy and tectonics since a long time. A brief summary of their previous work is given below: Lydekker (1876, 1883) and Middlemiss (1896) carried out their work in Hazara and Kashmir. They established the broad outline of the geology in this region and named


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some of the rock units. Wadia (1931) explained the syntaxis of the northwest Himalaya on the basis of geosynclina| group of depositslaid down on the bed of Tethys against the northern shores of Gondwana land. Qureshi and Imam (1960) did the geological mapping of the area for iron and manganese ore deposits. Calkins, Offield, Abdullah and Ali (1975) mapped Balakot area at 1:125,000 and discussed its geology. They delt the stratigraphy and structure of a sequence of rocks that range in age from Precambrian to Miocene. Structurally the area lies on the western flank of the Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis and contains iron, manganese, high alumina, clays, gypsum, dolomite and graphite. This work was done jointly by the Geological survey of Pakistan and U.S. Geological Survey. The main interest of field of Thakur and Gupta (1983) was the regional stratigraphy. paleontology and structure of Kashmir and Ladakh Himalayas. The Swiss geologists Bossart, Dorthe, Dietrich, Greco, Ottiger and Ramsay (1984) in collaboration with Institute of Geology Azad Jammu& Kashmir University described the lithological, Stratigraphic and structural features of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis. Ottiger (1986) did his work on the geology of Hazara-Kashmir Syntaxis. He reviewed the lithological Formations and rhythmic sedimentation Geological Field Report

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in Lower Murree Formation in detail. Ghazanfar, Chuadry and Latif (1987) established three different sets of Stratigraphic sequences which occur close together in the region of Hazara-Kashmir Syntaxis.

Day I and Day II


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Stratigraphic Notes

Pre-Cambrian Rocks

Following formations belongs to Precambrian age in hazara range:

(1) Hazara Formation(2) Tanawal Formation

Hazara Formation

The name “Hazara Formation” has been formalized by Calkin and Ali (1969) for the “slate series of Hazara” of Middlemiss (1896), and “Hazara slates formation” of marks (1961), and “Attok slates” of Waagen and Wynne (1872), and “Hazara group” of Latif (1970).

The Formation has its type locality near Hazara Distric. Exposure around Baragali along Abbotabad-Nathiagali Road can be regarded as its type section.

The Formation consists of slate, phyllite and shale with minor occurrences of limestone and graphite


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layers. Slate and phyllite are green to dark green and black in color. Limestone beds with maximum thickness of 150 m and calcareous phyllite gypsum from 30 to 120m thick are found in southern most hazara. Marks and ali (1961) regarded the formation as a deep water turbidity current deposit. Calkins (1969) contended that the beds limestone, graphite and gypsum are unlikely to occur in a turbidity sequence and regarded the formation as a shallow water argillaceous sequence.

Latif (1970) has reported fossils from the formation similar to protobolella.

Calkin (1969) correlated the formation with Dogra slates and assigned a late Precambrian age to the hazara formation. Latif (1970) reported fossils showing that it may be lower Paleozoic in age. Crawford and Davies (1975) determined the age of the formation by the Rb-Sr method. This age determination place the formation in the Precambrian.

Tanawal Formation


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Wynne (1878) used the name “Tanol group” for the rocks of this formation. Middlemiss (1896) called them “Tanol quartzite”. Marks and Ali (1962) and Latif (1970) named them “Tanol formation” Calkins, Offield and Ali (1969) used the name Tanawal formation for this unit of rocks.

The formation is well exposed in the north and south of Mansehra granite.

The formation consists of Quartoze schist, quartzite and schistose conglomerate. The south of Mansehra granite the formation consists of medium grained quartzite and fine grained mica-quartz schist. To the north of Mansehra granite the formation mainly consists of granite and biotite muscovite-quartz schist. Ali (1962) estimated he thickness as 1666 m. Tanawal formation underlies Abbotabad formation and overlies Hazara formation in the area between Abottabad and Indus river. The upper contact with Abottabad formation in this area is unconformable. In the area between Abottabad and Garhi Habibullah the lower contact of the Tanawal formation with the Hazara formation is gradational.

The formation has been observed during our field work near Abottabad. It has been observed that


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the formation consist Quartzite and mica-quartz Schist.

The contact relation of the formation shows that the Tanawal formation is younger than Hazara formation but older than Abottabad formation. Tanaki conglomerate provide the basement for Cambrian staratigraphy of Hazara Range. The presence of Tanaki conglomerate between Tanawal and Abottabad formation shows that the age of Tanawal formation is late Precambrian.


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Cambrian Rocks

Abbottabad Formation

Waagen and Wynne (1872) used the name “below the trias” for this unit of rocks. Middlemiss called it “infra-trias”. Latif (1970) named this unit as “Abbottabad group”. Calkin, offield and Ali suggested the name “Abbottabad formation”.

Type locality of the formation is near Abbotabad town.

The formation mainly consists of dolomite, quartzite and phyllite, with many lithologic changes from place to place.

In Abbottabad area the formation contains beds of thick marble with phosphate deposit. In sherwan area the formation has an unconformable lower contact with Tanawal formation marked by the presence of a boulder bed or by lithologic change. In eastern part of southern hazara the Tanawal formation is missing. The thickness of the formation is about 660 m at the type locality, 900


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m in Tanol area, 833 in Muzaffarabad area and 100 to 130 in Garhi Habibullah syncline.

Calkin (1969) examined the fauna of carboniferous to Permian age from the formation. Recently Ikramuddin Ali and David examined the fossils of Hyolithes spp. from the formation which has been reported from the Cambrian of North America, Sweden and Russia.

According to Calkin (1969) the formation is carboniferous to Permian in age. On the basis of Hyolithes spp the formation placed in lower Cambrian.

Hazara Formation

The name hazara formation was introduced by Gardizi and Gazanfar (1965) for the shale silt stone unit exposed near hazara village.

Type locality is near said village in hazara area.

The formation consists mainly of calcareous, shally siltstone containing earthy concretion. The formation shows glauconitic facies near base. Gardizi and Gazanfar (1965) have included the “Galdanian formation” in hazira formation. Hazira


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formation attains maximum thickness of 300 m . it overlies the Abbottabad formation and underlies Jurassic arenite.

Fuchs and Mastler (1972) extracted the following fauna from the formation:

Porifera: Allonia tripodofora, Archiaste-rellla pentactina

Calyptoptamatida: Hyolithes and representative of family Orthothecidae

Annilida: Lapworthella spp. and Rush-tonia spp.

The age of formation reported by Rushton is Cambrian.

Jurassic Rocks

Datta Formation


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The name “Datta formation” was introduced by Danilchik (1961) and Shah (1967) to replace the name “Variegated stage” of Gee (1945) and earlier workers

The type section is located in Datta nala in the Surghar range.

The formation is mainly of continental origin and consists of variegated (red, maroon, grey, green and white) sandstone, shale, siltstone and mudstone with irregularly distributed calcareous, dolomitic, carbonaceous, ferruginous glass sand and fire clay horizons. The fireclay is normally present in the lower part while upper part includes a thick bed of maroon shale easily recognizable in Salt range and Trans-Indus ranges. The thickness at type locality is 212 m. The Datta formation is widely developed In the western part of Salt range and in Trans_indus ranges. The formation is disconformable lower contact with Kingriali formation and the upper contact with Shinawari formation is gradational.

Datta formation was observed in Nammal gorge during our fieldwork, it contains thick bedded sandstone with some Horizon of fireclay and concretions of sulpher. The contact between Datta


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formation and Samanasuk formation has been marked.

No diagnostic fossils have been reported from formation except some carbonaceous remains.

The age of formation is regarded as early Jurassic on the basis of Kingriali formation which is of Late- Triassic.

Specifications in Hazara Area

Middle miss (1896) used the name “red beds and part of Kioto limestone” for the rocks of Datta formation in hazara area.

In hazara range the formation extend as a tongue where it consists of quartzes sandstone, ferruginous sandstone and fireclay. The beds of brownish calcareous grits are present at the base. Its thickness is 7 to 10 m in hazara range. In hazara the formation unconformably overlies doubtful Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Triassic rocks and is not developed in some parts of hazara. The upper contact with Shinawari formation is gradational.

Age of the formation is early Jurassic.


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Shinawari Formation

The name Shinawari formation was introduced after the village of this name in western part of Samana Range by Fatmi (1964). Davis called these beds as lowest “Samana beds”. Cotteer1933 adopted the name lower part of “Kioto limestone”. Danilchik and Shah1967 used the name upper transitional beds of Datta Formation.

Type locality of the formation is near Shinawari village in Samana range.

The formation consists in its type locality of well bedded limestone with nodular marl calcareous and non calcareous shale and Quartoze, ferruginous and calcareous sandstone. The limestone is grey, shale is also grey and sandstone is white to light grey. Sedimentary structures are present in layers .In the principal reference section the formation consist lime stone in lower part with a thick sandstone bed in the middle part followed by the maroon shale. The upper most part consists of variegated shale, sandstone and siltstone. The thickness of formation is 400 m in the type area, 80 m in principal reference section of Sheikh Budin Hill. The formation has a transitional contact with


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underlying Datta formation and overlying Samanasuk Formation.

The fossils of Boaleiceras are reported from Hazara area. Latif 1970 reported fossils of Terebratula, Montlivaltia, and Pholadomya. Spiriferina spp. is reported from Kala Chitta. Corals and Gastropods are reported from Marwat range. Bivalves and Brachiopods are reported from Khisor range.

The age of formation is regarded as Early Jurassic on the basis of fauna reported from lower part and Middle Jurassic on The basis of Fossils reported from the lower part

Specification in Hazara Area

In hazara range the formation is divided into two folds. The upper part is red shale and clay with intercalated marl and shelly thin bedded limestone. The lower part consists of limestone and marl with locally developed dolomitic beds. The thickness of the Shinawari formation is 25 m in Bagnotar section of hazara range. The formation has a transitional contact with overlying Samana Suk formation and underlying Datta formation.


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Remains of Bouleiceras, Terbratula, Montlivaltia and Eotrapezium have been reported from lower part of the formation in hazara area.

Age of the formation is Early to Middle Jurassic.


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Day III and Day IV


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Samana Suk Formation

The name Samana Suk is derived from the peek of this name in the Samana range. The name is extended to include “Baroch limestone” of Gee (1945) in the salt range. The name “Samana Suk” was introduced by Davies in 1930 for the Jurassic limestone in Samana Range.

Type locality is near north east of Shinawari in the western part of Samana range.

The formation consists in type locality of thick bedded lime stone with marl and shale intercalations. The limestone is oolitic. In the salt range the limestone is thin to medium bedded. In the type locality the thickness is 186 m. It is thin in western salt range and is absent from the eastern salt range. The lower contact is Transitional with Shinawari formation and the upper contact with Chichali is disconformable.

Oolitic limestone of Samanasuk formation has been observed in Nammal gorge during our field work.


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The contact between Samanasuk formation and Hungu formation has been marked with Laterite beds.

The fossils of Brachiopods Bivalves Gastropods and Ammonoids have recorded from the upper most beds.

The age of the formation is middle Jurassic.


Middlemiss (1896) proposed the name “Kioto limestone” for the rocks of Samana Suk formation in hazara range.

In hazara area the limestone of the formation is thin to thick-bedded and includes some dolomitic, ferruginous, sandy and oolitic beds. The thickness of the formation is 366 m in Bagnotar section of hazara area. The lower contact is transitional with Shinawari formation and upper contact is disconformable with Chichali formation.

Calkins (1968) reported fossils of gastropods from northern hazara. Latif (1970) reported fossils of


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Stylina sp., Corbula sp., Nucula sp. and Protocardia sp. from different parts of hazara.

Age of the formation is Middle Jurassic indicated by its fauna.

Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous Rocks

Kawagarh Formation


The name Kawagarh formation was approved by Stratigraphic committee of Pakistan, prior to the name Kawagarh marls by Day. “Sattu limestone” of Calkines and Matin (1968) and “Chanali limestone” of Latif (1970) in Hazara Area were formalized into Kawagarh formation.

The Nara sandstone member in the upper part is grey, brownish grey to dark grey, thick bedded, calcareous sandstone with some limestone interbeds. In northern hazara Nara member was not developed and Kawagarh formation consists of grey, olive grey, light grey sublithlogic limestone


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with subordinate marl and Calcareous shale. In Hazara the thickness of the formation varies from 45 m to 200 m, south to middle area. The formation has disconformable contact with overlying Hungu formation of Paleocene age and Underlying Lumshiwal formation of mainly Early Cretaceous.

Latif (1970) has reported following foraminifers from southern Hazara: Globotruncana lapparenti, G.fornicata, G. concavata carinata, G. etc.

On the basis of fauna the age of formation is regarded as Late Cretaceous.

Upper Paleocene Rocks

Lockhart LimestoneDavies introduced the name “Lockhart Limestone” for a Paleocene limestone unit in the Kohat area (1930). This unit thus represents “Nummulitic series” of Middle Miss (1896). Latif (1970) assigned Mari Limestone to this unit.


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A section exposed near fort Lockhart in the Samana range has been designated as the type locality of the unit.

In the Hazara and Kala Chitta area the limestone is dark grey and black in color and contains intercalation of marl and shale. The limestone is generally bituminous and gives off-fetid odor on a fresh surface. It is 260 m thick in Kala Chitta and 90 to 242 m in Hazara area. The formation conformably and transitionally overlies and underlies the Hungu Formation and Patala Formation respectively.

Latif (1970) reported a number of foraminifera from the Hazara area including Lockhartia Conditi, L. conica, L. haimei, Globigereina tringularis, Miscellanea miscella and Actinosiphon punjabensis.

The formation is of Paleocene age.


Davies (1930) introduced the term Lockhart limestone for a Paleocene limestone unit in Kohat


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area and usage has been extended by Stratigraphic committee of Pakistan to similar units in Hazara area.

In the Hazara area limestone is dark grey and black in colour and contains intercalation of shale and marl. The limestone is generally bituminous and gives off fetid odor on the fresh surface. The thickness of unit is 242m in Hazara area. The formation conformably and transitionally overlies and underlies the Hungu formation and Patala formation respectively.

Raza (1967), Cheema (1968), and Latif (1970) have reported a number of foraminifera from Hazara area including Lockhartia Conditi, Globorotalia uncinata, Globigerina tringularis, Texularia sinithvillensis etc.

The above mentioned fossils indicated Paleocene age of unit.

Patala FormationThe term Patala formation was formalized by Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan for the “Patala Shale” of Davies and Pinfold (1937) and its usage


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was extended to other parts of the Kohat-Potwar and Hazara areas.

The section exposed in Patala nala is designated as type section in Salt range.

In the salt range, the formation consists of shale and marl with subordinate limestone and sandstone. The shale is greenish grey and containing carbonaceous material. The limestone is white to grey and nodular. Coal seems of economic value are present in upper part. The thickness of formation is 27m at Khewra and 90m at Patala nala. It widely exposed in Kohat-Potwar and Hazara areas. Throughout its extent, the Patala formation conformably overlies the Lockhart lime stone .The Patala formation is conformably and Transitional overlain by Nammal formation in the Salt range.

Patala formation has been observed along Choa sadden Shah Road in Eastern salt range during our fieldwork. A thin bed of bituminous shale and horizons of Fire clay, coal and sand were observed.

The formation is richly fossiliferous and contains abundant Foraminiferas, mollusks and ostracodes

The age of formation is regarded as Late Paleocene while in Hazara its age is Early Eocene.


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It contains shale of brown and green colour with interbeds of nodular limestone and carbonaceous material in hazara area. The thickness of formation is 182 m in Hazara area. Throughout its extent Patala formation is conformably overlies Lockhart lime stone.

Patala formation was observed in Islamabad and in Changla Gali during our field work. It was shale with grayish colour having thin beds of limestone. Contact between Margala hill lime stone and Patala formation has been marked al9ng Changla Gali road section.

Latif 1970 reported smaller foraminifers from Hazara which includes Globorotalia elongata, Globigerina primitive, Triloculina trigonula. The larger foraminifers recorded by Raza and Cheema includes Assilinadandotica, a.granulosa, a. Spinosa.

The age of formation is Early Eocene in Hazara area.


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Miocene Rocks

Murree Formation


The name is derived from the Murree hills in Rawalpindi District.


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The formation consists of purple clay and greenish grey sandstone with subordinate intraformational conglomerate. The basal strata of the formation consist of light greenish, grey calcareous sandstone and conglomerate. The formation unconformably overlies various formation of Eocene age. Its upper contact is transitional with kumlial formation.

It is poorly fossiliferous and only few plant remains, silicified wood, fish remains, frog and mammalian bones have been recorded.

The fauna indicates an early Miocene age of the formation.


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Field Report BS VII

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