Cenozoic • Neogene Literature

Dasht Murgha Group

Middle to Late Miocene

Pishin–Katawaz Basin · Pishin Belt (Qila Saifullah)

Cited in 2 sources Last reviewed Aug 2, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Neogene · Middle–Late MioceneMiddle to Late Miocene
Named by: Kasi et al. (2012)
Type locality: Dasht Murgha Syncline (Dasht Murgha area), Pishin Belt — designated reference section; the group reaches a maximum thickness of ~4,800 m in the Naweoba area near Zhob.
Thickness: up to ~4,800 m (Naweoba area)
Lithology: Interbedded sandstone (lithic arenite/sublitharenite), mudstone and conglomerate; fluvial.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Middle–Upper Miocene fluvial siliciclastic succession of the Pishin Belt, northern Balochistan, introduced by Kasi (2012). Its reference section is in the Dasht Murgha Syncline north of Qila Saifullah, and it is divided into the Khuzhobai, Bahlol Nika and Sra Khula formations. Sandstones are lithic arenites to sublitharenites derived from pre-Miocene sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous sources.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Zhob-Muslim Bagh column

ConglomerateSandstoneFossils 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.

Constituent units

Formations that make up this unit, in stratigraphic order (youngest at top, as in the column).

Distribution & setting

Zhob-Muslim Bagh

Basin: Pishin–Katawaz Basin
Region: Pishin Belt (Qila Saifullah)
Depositional environment: fluvial
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The Early–Middle Miocene fluvial molasse forming Zone III of the Pishin Belt, resting on the Eocene Nisai Formation with an angular unconformity. Its sandstones and conglomerates carry clasts of the Muslim Bagh Ophiolite and of the Nisai and Khojak formations, recording uplift and cannibalisation of the pre-Miocene Pishin succession; it is divided into the lower Khuzhobai, middle Bahlol Nika and upper Sra Khula formations.

Sources (2)

Kasi, A.K., Kassi, A.M., Friis, H., Kakar, M.I. & Manan, R.A. (2014). Clay minerals assemblage in the Neogene fluvial succession of the Pishin Belt, Pakistan: implications for provenance. Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences, 47(2), 63-73.
Kasi, A.K., Kassi, A.M., Umar, M., Manan, R.A. & Kakar, M.I. (2012). Revised lithostratigraphy of the Pishin Belt, northwestern Pakistan. Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences, 45(1), 53-65.

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: Defined in journal or other literature; not found in a GSP memoir. There is no body currently ratifying unit status, so provenance is shown in place of a formal ruling.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_dashtmurghagroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Dasht Murgha Group} --- 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/dasht-murgha-group (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Kasi et al. (2012).

Below · older

Khojak Formation

Paleogene

Above · younger

Malthanai Formation

Neogene

Referenced in other successions

Underlain by Shaigalu Member