Mesozoic • Jurassic formation In GSP lexicon

Anjira Formation

Jurassic

Kirthar Basin · Western Kirthar (Balochistan)

Part of Shirinab Formation

Jurassic in the time scale →

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Mesozoic · Jurassic · JurassicJurassic
Named by: Williams (1959)
Type locality: Anjira
Thickness: 100-352 m
Lithology: Clayey limestone At the type section, designated by Anwar et al. (1991), the lithology is composed of thin to thick-bedded limestone interbeded locally with partings of marl and calcareous shale. The limestone is grey to dark grey, weathers brownish grey, and is lithographic and fossiliferous. It is marly, shelly, mottled and muddy at places. The marl is grey to greenish grey, weathers brownish g…
Synonyms: Anjira Member (basal Shirinab Formation; Williams 1959)

The upper member of the Jurassic Shirinab Formation.

Anjira Formation The Anjira member of Shirinab Formation was named by Williams (1959) after Anjira village (34L/7) with type locality 12 km east of Anjira (Anwar et al. 1991). It is correlative to Loralai limestone of Sulaiman basin. It represents mainly thin to medium bedded grey limestone with some grey shale and marl. Its lower contact with Spingwar Formation and upper contact with Chiltan (Takatu, Zidi) Limestone is conformable. The age assigned by Williams (1959) and Woodward (1959) is Early Jurassic but HSC (1961) have recorded Torcian fossils from its lower part. Its age ranges from Late Liassic to Bajocian (Early-Middle Jurassic).

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Kirthar Range column

SandstoneShale / 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

Kirthar Range

Basin: Kirthar Basin
Region: Western Kirthar (Balochistan)
Depositional environment: shallow marine
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Metals & minerals

Hosts stratabound lead-zinc mineralization of the Khuzdar belt in the upper part of the Jurassic Shirinab succession: the Gunga deposit (~6% Zn, 1.5% Pb; SEDEX-type) and the nearby Surmai deposit (Mississippi-Valley-type, ~6.5% combined, with 10-20 g/t Ag) — an important Zn-Pb-Ag resource (Malkani 2020).

Remarks

The upper member of the Jurassic Shirinab Formation, above the Spingwar and Loralai members.

Sources (5)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.
Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
Malkani, M.S. (2020). Revised Stratigraphy and Mineral Resources of Balochistan Basin, Pakistan: An Update. Open Journal of Geology, 10, 784-828.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.

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.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_anjiraformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Anjira 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/anjira-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Williams (1959).

Below · older

Spingwar Formation

Triassic

Above · younger

Chiltan Limestone

Jurassic

Referenced in other successions

Underlain by Malikhore Formation