Chatti Formation
Early Pleistocene (Gelasian; ~2.58-1.80 Ma)
Balochistan Basin · Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
Neogene in the time scale →Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026
- Rank
- formation
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Cenozoic · Neogene · Early PleistoceneEarly Pleistocene (Gelasian; ~2.58-1.80 Ma)
- Named by
- HSC (1961)
- Type locality
- Makran Flysch Province, Balochistan Basin25.3000°N, 62.1300°E
- Thickness
- over 1000 m
- Lithology
- Clayey sandstone.
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
A Pliocene coastal-Makran mudstone near Gwadar, among the youngest marine deposits of the wedge.
Chatti Formation is after the locality of Chatti (31 K/3) about 17 miles north west of Gawader (HSC, 1961). These rocks were also included in the "Upper Mudstone" of Khan (1951). It is a part of Makran series paleontologically defined by Vredenburg (1909; p. 299-300). It consists of mostly mudstone which is interbedded with siltstone or fine grained sandstone and marl. The Ormara is the synonym of Chatti because Ormara is mapped in the eastern part of southern Makran coastal areas where Chatti formation is not mapped and distinction between Ormara and Chatti mudstone is also difficult in the western part also (HSC, 1961). Its age is Pliocene.
Fossils
Not recorded
Contacts
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
- Basin
- Balochistan Basin
- Region
- Makran-Siahan Basin, Wazhdad Arc And Mashkel/Kharan Basin
- Depositional environment
- marine, shelf
- Coordinates
- 25.3000°N, 62.1300°E
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
A Pliocene mudstone of the coastal Makran (Gwadar area), part of the youngest, regressive marine fill of the accretionary wedge.
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.
- Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
- 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.
- 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: 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
Qudsi, L. (2026). Chatti Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_chattiformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Chatti 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/chatti-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: HSC (1961).
Related units
Referenced in other successions
Overlain by Gwadar Formation
Underlain by Hinglaj Formation
Saved on this device only.