Precambrian • Neoproterozoic In GSP lexicon

Nagarparkar Igneous Complex

Precambrian (Malani Igneous Suite, ~750-770 Ma)

Cited in 7 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Precambrian · NeoproterozoicPrecambrian (Malani Igneous Suite, ~750-770 Ma)
Named by: Not recorded
Type locality: Karunjhar Hills, Nagarparkar, Sindh24.3500°N, 70.7100°E
Thickness: Variable (plutonic-volcanic complex)
Lithology: Granite, rhyolite, basalt, granophyre
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Neoproterozoic granite-rhyolite igneous complex exposed around the Karunjhar Hills at Nagarparkar, SE Sindh - the Pakistani extension of the Malani Igneous Suite of Rajasthan.

Exposed in Nagarparkar area of southeastern Sindh. Part of the Malani Igneous Suite extending from Rajasthan. Represents major Neoproterozoic felsic magmatism.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Sindh Province column

IgneousConformable

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

Sindh Province Indo-Pakistan Shield

Basin: Not recorded
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: Not recorded
Coordinates: 24.3500°N, 70.7100°E

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See it in the field

Geoheritage site where this unit is exposed at outcrop.

Nagarparkar Granite (Thar)

Indo-Pakistan Shield

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Building stone

Dimension stone quarrying

Remarks

Records major Neoproterozoic A-type, largely anorogenic felsic magmatism of the Malani Igneous Suite (a Neoproterozoic silicic large igneous province) linked to Rodinia; U-Pb zircon ages from the complex span roughly the late Tonian (~740-880 Ma).

Research notes (6)

Field-by-field findings drawn from the cited literature. Every statement is traced to a registered source — follow a citation for the full reference.

Name & nomenclature (1)

Attested in Shah (2009), Geological Survey of Pakistan Memoir 22 - the Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan's compiled lexicon (listed in the memoir's contents). Adds the definitional GSP/SCP lexicon citation. Shah lists this unit as 'Nagar Parkar igneous complex'.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Age & correlation (2)

Kazmi & Jan (1997): the 'Nagar Igneous Complex' (Kazmi & Khan 1973; Nagar Parkar, SE Sindh) is Late Proterozoic — amphibolite (possibly older basement) intruded by grey and pink (riebeckite-aegirine) granite and cut by undeformed alkaline mafic dykes and two rhyolite domes; an anorogenic within-plate suite correlated with the ~740 Ma Malani Igneous Suite / Mount Abu granites, underlying the Thar coal-field. Corroborates the curated Malani (~750–770 Ma) assignment.

Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997)
Geochemistry, geochronology and Lu-Hf isotopes assign the Nagar Parkar Igneous Complex granites to Early Neoproterozoic (Malani-related) magmatism on the SE Pakistan shield (Mastoi et al. 2019).

Mastoi, A.S., Yang, X.-Y., Deng, J. & Hakro, A.A.A.D. (2019)

Lithology (1)

Ahmad & Chaudhary (2007) characterised the Karai gabbro and associated dolerites as 'within-plate' alkaline-to-subalkaline continental tholeiites (normative nepheline in the more alkaline gabbros), forming ring-shaped outcrops. Discrimination diagrams (Ti-Zr-Y, Ti-V, Nb-Zr-Y) and chondrite-normalised REE (LREE-enriched with a slight negative Nb anomaly) confirm a non-subduction, continental flood-tholeiite character.

Ahmad, S.A. & Chaudhary, M.N. (2007)

Type locality & location (1)

The complex crops out over ~450 sq km in the extreme SE Thar Desert near the Rann of Kutch (24°15'-24°30' N, 70°37'-71°07' E), resting unconformably on the Aravalli-Delhi basement and overlain by the Quaternary Bar Tala Formation (Ahmad & Chaudhary 2007).

Ahmad, S.A. & Chaudhary, M.N. (2007)

Geological significance (1)

The magmatism is attributed to a Neoproterozoic mantle plume (hot-spot) active ~1000-750 Ma that drove continental rifting and Rodinia break-up along the western margin of the Trans-Aravalli belt, forming the bimodal Kirana-Malani-Nagar volcano-plutonic suite. The complex's phases run from Phase 1 Dhedvero gabbro/Karai dolerite through the Nagarparkar Granite (Phase 3) to late basic/acid dykes (Ahmad & Chaudhary 2007).

Ahmad, S.A. & Chaudhary, M.N. (2007)

Sources (6)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
Mastoi, A.S., Yang, X.-Y., Deng, J. & Hakro, A.A.A.D. (2019). Early Neoproterozoic evolution of Southeast Pakistan: evidence from geochemistry, geochronology, and isotopic composition of the Nagarparkar Igneous Complex. International Geology Review, 61(11), 1398-1408.
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.
Ahmad, S.A. & Chaudhary, M.N. (2007). Geochemical characterization and origin of the Karai gabbro from the Neoproterozoic Nagarparkar Complex, Pakistan. Geological Bulletin of the Punjab University, 42, 1-14.

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). Nagarparkar Igneous Complex. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_nagarparkarcomplex,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Nagarparkar Igneous Complex} --- 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/nagarparkar-complex (accessed October 7, 2026).