Paleozoic • Carboniferous–Permian formation In GSP lexicon

Chalt Formation

Permo-Carboniferous

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Southern Metamorphic Belt

Carboniferous–Permian in the time scale →

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Carboniferous–PermianPermo-Carboniferous
Named by: Desio (1964)
Type locality: Chalt village, about 40 km north of Gilgit, Hunza valley36.2333°N, 74.3333°E
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Dark-grey quartz–biotite schist with subordinate quartzite, marble and conglomerate.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Permo-Carboniferous quartz–biotite schist unit of the Darkot Group near Chalt, north of Gilgit.

Chalt formation is named after the Chalt village about 40km N of Gilgit by Desio (1964) for quartz biotite schist, quartzite, marble and conglomerate. Ivanac et al. (1956) assigned Permo-carboniferous age based on fossils.

Fossils

Bryozoans Fenestella Productids Corals

Contacts

In the Karakoram column

MetamorphicShale / mudConglomerateFossils 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

Karakoram

Basin: Karakoram-Hindukush Basin
Region: Southern Metamorphic Belt
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: 36.2333°N, 74.3333°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

A Permo-Carboniferous metasedimentary unit of the Darkot Group, faulted against the Dumordo Formation in the Hunza valley; Searle (1991) treated it as part of the Ganchen Formation.

Sources (7)

Ivanac, J. F. et al. (1956). Geology of the Chalt–Babusar area; Permo-Carboniferous age assigned on fossils.
Malkani, M. S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Memoir of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, Vol. 24.
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.
OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
Stauffer, K.W. (1975). Geology of the Gilgit-Hispar Area, Gilgit Agency, Pakistan. U.S. Geological Survey / Geological Survey of Pakistan, Project Report (IR) PK-19 (Open-File Report), 41 p.
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). Chalt Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_chaltformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Chalt 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/chalt-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Desio (1964).