About

About this project

Pakistan Stratigraphy Explorer is a free, mobile-first reference for the stratigraphy of Pakistan — its 285 named geological formations, the geological time scale, and the 19 geological provinces and sedimentary basins that make up the country’s rock record. Our aim is simple: take the dense, scattered literature on Pakistan’s geology and turn it into something you can actually browse, search and learn from on any device.

Pakistan holds one of the most remarkable geological stories on Earth — a near-complete sequence of strata recording more than a billion years, from Precambrian salt to the sediment still being shed off the rising Himalaya today. That story deserves a clear, modern home, and this is our attempt at building one.

What’s inside

Who it’s for

It is written for geology and earth-science students revising for exams, teachers preparing material, field geologists who need a quick reference in the field, and anyone curious about how Pakistan’s mountains, plains and coastlines came to be. If you are new to the subject, the Student Guide explains the principles of stratigraphy from scratch, like a short course.

Accuracy & method

Every formation entry is structured around the same core facts a geologist needs — name, age, lithology, type locality, fossil content and geographic distribution — so units can be compared consistently. Stratigraphy is a living science: names are revised, ages are refined, and correlations are debated. Where a unit’s age is still being confirmed, it is flagged rather than stated with false certainty. If you spot something that needs correcting, we want to hear about it.

Source & attribution

Stratigraphic content is derived from the Geological Survey of Pakistan, primarily GSP Memoir Vol. 24, Stratigraphy of Pakistan (Malkani & Mahmood, 2017), alongside the broader published literature. The Geological Survey of Pakistan is credited as the authoritative source; this site is an independent educational presentation of that material, not an official GSP publication.

Who writes it

The stratigraphic content is researched, compiled and reviewed by Lareb Qudsi, a PhD student in geology at the University of Sargodha. Each formation entry is cross-referenced against the published literature and kept current as the science is revised.

Who builds it

Pakistan Stratigraphy Explorer is developed and maintained by the team at Rank Ready, which handles the design, engineering and hosting of this independent, free educational resource.