Cenozoic • Paleogene formation GSP memoir

Wakai Limestone

Paleocene

Balochistan Basin · Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin

Cited in 4 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · Paleocene–Early EocenePaleocene
Named by: HSC (1961)
Type locality: Koh-i-Wakai, Tagrana Kaur valley
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Limestone, marl and shale (reefal in part).
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Paleocene–Eocene reefal limestone at the base of the Makran sequence, before the deep-sea flysch took over.

Wakai limestone is named after Koh-i-Wakai in the valley of Tagrana Kaur (31 J/11; HSC, 1961). It consists of limestone, marl and shale. The age of formation is interpreted as Paleocene. The formation is important for petroleum prospecting and source, if it has large subsurface extension.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Makran Coast column

Shale / mudLimestoneFossils 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

Makran Coast

Basin: Balochistan Basin
Region: Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
Depositional environment: shallow marine, reef
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Source rock Reservoir

Identified as a potential petroleum source/reservoir carbonate in the Makran if it has significant subsurface extent.

Remarks

A Paleocene–Early Eocene reefal carbonate at the base of the Makran succession, recording shallow-marine conditions before the onset of deep-marine flysch deposition in the accretionary wedge.

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) RANK FLAG: the book treats 'Wakai' as an Eocene Member of the Kharan Formation, not a stand-alone limestone formation; the DB rank/name should be reviewed.

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

Geological significance (1)

Kazmi & Abbasi (2008) REVISES the earlier rank flag: the book does NOT place 'Wakai' in the Kharan Formation; rather, Cheema et al. (1977) subsumed the old HSC (1960) 'Wakai limestone' (a massive, brecciated, reefoid limestone at Wakai/Wakabi) into the Nisai Formation. So the Wakai limestone is best treated as part of the (Eocene–Oligocene) Nisai Formation, not the Kharan Formation.

Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008)

Sources (4)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Cromie, P. et al. (2022). Tectonostratigraphic Evolution and Hydrocarbon Prospectivity South of Gwadar Bay, Makran Accretionary Wedge, Offshore SW Pakistan. (petroleum-system study).
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.
Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008). Stratigraphy and Historical Geology of Pakistan. Department & National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar. 524 pp. ISBN 978-969-9119.

Reviewer confidence: medium

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: Appears in a single-author Geological Survey of Pakistan memoir (Malkani & Mahmood 2017), not cross-confirmed against the Shah lexicon. The Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan is largely inactive, so documented provenance — not formal ratification — is the available signal.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_wakailimestone,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Wakai Limestone} --- 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/wakai-limestone (accessed October 7, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: HSC (1961).

Above · younger

Siahan Formation

Paleogene