Paleozoic • Cambrian In GSP lexicon

Khisor Formation

early Middle Cambrian

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Cambrian · Miaolingianearly Middle Cambrian
Named by: Gee (1945) 'Gypsiferous Series'; Hussain (1960) 'Khisor gypsiferous beds'; formalized as Khisor Formation
Type locality: Khisor Range32.3500°N, 71.2500°E
Thickness: 50-100 m
Lithology: Thick gypsum at base, shale in upper part
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Cambrian unit of the Khisor Range with gypsum at its base and shale above; it is regarded as the restricted, evaporitic equivalent of the Baghanwala Formation.

Named after Khisor Range. Lateral equivalent of Baghanwala Formation with evaporitic facies indicating restricted marine conditions.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Salt Range column

LimestoneShale / mudGypsum / evaporiteFossils recordedConformable

Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type. 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

Salt Range Kohat Basin

Basin: Not recorded
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: restricted marine, evaporitic
Coordinates: 32.3500°N, 71.2500°E

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Correlation

Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →

Economic significance

Salt & evaporites

Gypsum deposits

Remarks

An evaporite-bearing Cambrian unit of the Khisor and Marwat ranges interpreted as the restricted-marine lateral equivalent of the Baghanwala Formation, recording continued arid, restricted conditions at the top of the Cambrian.

Research notes (2)

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 (1)

Kazmi & Jan (1997): the Khisor Formation (Middle(?) Cambrian; type west of Saiyeduwala, southern Khisor Range) is 100–135 m of white to grey laminated gypsum with dolomite and dark shale — an evaporitic time-equivalent of the Baghanwala Formation, conformable on the Jutana; barren of fossils.

Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997)

Type locality & location (1)

Geocoded (low confidence) from the published type locality "Khisor Range" via public gazetteer (OpenStreetMap / GEOnet Names Server). Named-place point of ~km accuracy for regional screening, not a surveyed section; author-reviewed in the coordinate-verification pass. Basis: Khisor Range (range-level).

OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.

Sources (5)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Shah, S.M.I. (1977). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 12.
Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.

Reviewer confidence: high

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: Name attested in the Shah (1977/2009) Geological Survey of Pakistan compilation — the national stratigraphic lexicon. This records where the name is documented; it is not an endorsement of the unit’s definition, age or figures.

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Cite this unit

APA

Qudsi, L. (2026). Khisor Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_khisorformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Khisor 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/khisor-formation (accessed October 7, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Gee (1945) 'Gypsiferous Series'; Hussain (1960) 'Khisor gypsiferous beds'; formalized as Khisor Formation.

Below · older

Jutana Formation

Cambrian

Above · younger

Tobra Formation

Permian