Paleozoic • Permian formation Literature

Ini Sar Formation

Middle Permian (Guadalupian; early Murgabian)

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Central Karakoram Batholith

Cited in 1 source Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Permian · GuadalupianMiddle Permian (Guadalupian; early Murgabian)
Named by: Leven et al. (2007)
Type locality: Forms a strip from Lashkargaz to the Baroghil Pass (Baroghil-Lashkargaz Unit), drastically reduced at the Baroghil Pass; type section figured after Leven et al. (2007).
Thickness: up to 370 m
Lithology: A basal few metres of polymictic conglomerate with carbonate pebbles up to 15 cm (fining up, <15 m), overlain by coarse grey calcarenites in 20-50 cm beds with siltstone intercalations; the bulk is monotonous light grey sucrosic dolostone in massive beds with rare ghosts of thin-shelled bioclasts. Up to 370 m.
Synonyms: Not recorded

The Ini Sar Formation is a Middle Permian (Guadalupian) dolostone unit up to 370 m thick in the Baroghil-Lashkargaz Unit of the Karakoram, bracketed by two unconformities. A basal transgressive conglomerate and shore-facies calcarenites pass up into heavily dolomitised shallow-water carbonates; fusulinids of the Neoschwagerina simplex Zone (Schubertella, Yangchienia, Chusenella, Neoschwagerina) fix its Guadalupian age. Formerly merged with the Ailak Formation, it lies between the Lashkargaz and Ailak formations.

Fossils

Fusulinids (Schubertella, Yangchienia, Chusenella, Neoschwagerina spp.)Brachiopods Crinoids BryozoansSphinctozoans

Contacts

Lower contact — unconformable; upper contact — unconformable.

In the Hindukush-Chitral column

Shale / mudConglomerateMetamorphicLimestoneFossils recordedConformableUnconformity

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

Hindukush-Chitral

Basin: Karakoram-Hindukush Basin
Region: Central Karakoram Batholith
Depositional environment: marine, shallow marine, carbonate platform
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

A Middle Permian (Guadalupian, Neoschwagerina simplex Zone) dolostone bracketed by two unconformities, recording basal transgression on a gently eroded surface followed by heavily dolomitized shallow-water carbonates. Formerly merged with the Ailak Formation (Gaetani et al. 1996); the topmost 40 m of the Baroghil East section were reassigned to it from the Lashkargaz Formation.

Sources (1)

Zanchi, A. & Gaetani, M. (2011). The geology of the Karakoram Range, Pakistan. Italian Journal of Geosciences, 130(2), 161-262.

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). Ini Sar Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_inisarformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Ini Sar 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/ini-sar-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Leven et al. (2007).

Below · older

Lashkargaz Formation

Permian

Above · younger

Ailak Formation

Triassic