Paleozoic • Carboniferous–Permian formation In GSP lexicon

Khyber Limestone

Carboniferous–Permian

Northern Indus Suture

Carboniferous–Permian in the time scale →

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Carboniferous–PermianCarboniferous–Permian
Named by: Stauffer (1968)
Type locality: Ali Masjid village, Khyber Pass34.0800°N, 71.2900°E
Thickness: 30-36m
Lithology: Thick-bedded limestone, marble and massive dolomite with minor shale; limonite-rich arenaceous beds occur in the middle part.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Carboniferous–Permian limestone-and-dolomite unit of the Khyber Pass, above the Ali Masjid Formation.

The Khyber Limestone of Stauffer (1968) is placed within the Ali Masjid Group of Khan, M.A. (1970), which also comprises the Spin Rag quartzite, Oosi Nala limestone, Kandar phyllite, Nowshera formation, Misri Banda quartzite and Warran Ghundai formation; the Ghundai Sar formation of Khan et al. (1989) is a synonym of this group. Its basal Spin Rag quartzite (30-36 m thick) rests on the Landikotal slate along a thrust fault and is assigned a Middle to Upper Silurian age (Khan, M.A. 1970).

Fossils

Brachiopods Gastropods Pelecypods Ammonoids Bryozoans Fusulinids

Contacts

In the Khyber–Nowshera Belt column

LimestoneShale / mudMetamorphicFossils recordedUnconformityConformable

Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type (wavy = unconformity inferred from a missing period). 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

Khyber–Nowshera Belt

Basin: Northern Indus Suture
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: 34.0800°N, 71.2900°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The youngest Paleozoic unit of the Khyber Agency, conformably overlying the Upper Devonian Ali Masjid Formation; its rich fauna — including fusulinids — indicates a Carboniferous to Permian age.

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.
OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Molloy, P.D., Talent, J.A. & Mawson, R. (1997). Late Devonian-Tournaisian conodonts from the eastern Khyber region, north-west Pakistan. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, 103(2), 123-148.
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: 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: 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

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_khyberlimestone,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Khyber Limestone} --- 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/khyber-limestone (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Stauffer (1968).

Below · older

Ali Masjid Formation

Devonian–Carboniferous