Khadro Formation
Paleocene
Kirthar Basin · Eastern Kirthar (Sindh)
Part of Ranikot Group
Paleogene in the time scale →Cited in 7 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026
- Rank
- formation
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Cenozoic · Paleogene · PaleocenePaleocene
- Named by
- Williams (1959)
- Type locality
- Bara Nai, Lakhi Range26.1183°N, 67.8867°E
- Thickness
- In type section where at least two basaltic flows are present in the lower part, a thickness of 67 m is reported m
- Lithology
- Basal limestone with oysters and reptile bones, overlain by olive to grey ferruginous fossiliferous sandstone and gypsiferous shale with fossiliferous limestone interbeds; includes basaltic lava flows.
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
The bottom unit of the Paleocene Ranikot Group in Sindh — fossil-rich marine beds with early reptile bones and lava flows.
Named by Williams (1959) after Khadro Nai in the northern Laki Range (type section at Bara Nai), the Khadro Formation is the earliest-Paleocene unit of the Kirthar Basin and consists of limestone, sandstone, shale and volcanics — including Deccan-Trap basalt flows (the 'Khaskheli basalt') seen at surface and in the subsurface. It corresponds to the Cardita beaumonti beds of Blanford (1878). Its lower contact with the Vitakri Formation is disconformable and its upper contact with the Bara Formation is transitional and conformable. Earliest Paleocene.
Fossils
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
- Kirthar Basin
- Region
- Eastern Kirthar (Sindh)
- Depositional environment
- marine
- Coordinates
- 26.1183°N, 67.8867°E
See it in the field
Geoheritage site where this unit is exposed at outcrop.
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
The basal marine unit of the Paleocene Ranikot Group in the Kirthar/Sindh region, notable for reptile-bearing limestone and intercalated Deccan-related basaltic lava flows recording earliest-Cenozoic volcanism.
Sources (6)
- 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.
- Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
- Afzal, J., Williams, M. & Aldridge, R.J. (2009). Revised stratigraphy of the lower Cenozoic succession of the Greater Indus Basin in Pakistan. Journal of Micropalaeontology, 28(1): 7-23.
- Malkani, M.S. (2016). Revised stratigraphy of Indus Basin (Pakistan): Sea level changes. In: Cretaceous Ecosystems and Their Responses to Paleoenvironmental Changes in Asia and the Western Pacific — Fourth International Symposium of IGCP Project 608, Novosibirsk 2016, Abstract Volume, pp. 97-99.
- 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
Qudsi, L. (2026). Khadro Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_khadroformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Khadro 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/khadro-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Williams (1959).
Related units
Referenced in other successions
Underlain by Khaskheli Basalt Formation· Moro Formation
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