Cenozoic • Paleogene group GSP memoir

Kahan Group

Eocene

Kohat-Potwar Basin

Cited in 2 sources Last reviewed Jul 15, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · Early–Middle EoceneEocene
Named by: Khan (2009); type section Malkani (2010)
Type locality: Kahan
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Basal Jatta Gypsum overlain by the Habib Rahi, Domanda, Pirkoh and Drazinda limestone-and-shale formations.
Synonyms: Not recorded

The Eocene Kahan Group of the Kohat sub-basin — the Jatta Gypsum plus the Habib Rahi, Domanda, Pirkoh and Drazinda formations — the Kohat equivalent of the Kirthar Group.

The Kahan Group was first introduced by Khan (2009) in his geological map of the G 1 degree sheet; the type section was designated by Malkani (2010g) near the village of Kahan. In the Kohat sub-basin the Kahan Group consists of the Habib Rahi, Domanda, Pirkoh and Drazinda formations. It is equivalent to the Kuldana Group of the Potwar sub-basin and the Kirthar Group of the Kirthar basin.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Kohat Basin column

Shale / mudGypsum / evaporiteLimestoneFossils 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 group, in stratigraphic order (youngest at top, as in the column).

Distribution & setting

Kohat Basin

Basin: Kohat-Potwar Basin
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: shallow marine, evaporitic
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Reservoir Salt & evaporites

The Jatta Gypsum is a major gypsum resource; the Habib Rahi and Pirkoh limestones are gas reservoirs.

Remarks

The Eocene succession of the Kohat sub-basin, comprising the Jatta Gypsum and the Habib Rahi, Domanda, Pirkoh and Drazinda formations; equivalent to the Kuldana Group of the Potwar sub-basin and the Kirthar Group of the Kirthar basin.

Sources (2)

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.

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: Appears in a single-author Geological Survey of Pakistan memoir (Malkani & Mahmood 2017), not cross-confirmed against the Shah lexicon. The Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan is largely inactive, so documented provenance — not formal ratification — is the available signal.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_kahangroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Kahan 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/kahan-group (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Khan (2009); type section Malkani (2010).

Referenced in other successions

Underlain by Ghazij Group· Jatta Gypsum