Cenozoic • Paleogene Literature

Kirthar Group

Middle to Late Eocene (Lutetian–Bartonian)

Cited in 4 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · Middle–Late EoceneMiddle to Late Eocene (Lutetian–Bartonian)
Named by: Not recorded
Type locality: Kirthar Range / Sulaiman Range
Thickness: Several hundred metres (variable across the Sulaiman and Kohat basins).
Lithology: Alternating shelf limestone and shale (Habib Rahi and Pirkoh limestones; Domanda and Drazinda shales).
Synonyms: Not recorded

The Kirthar Group is the Middle to Late Eocene carbonate–shale succession of the Sulaiman and Kohat provinces (Eames 1952). In ascending order it comprises the Habib Rahi Limestone, Domanda Shale, Pirkoh Limestone and Drazinda Shale. It overlies the Ghazij Formation/Group and passes up into the Oligocene Nari/Chitarwatta succession.

Fossils

Larger benthic foraminifera (Nummulites, Assilina)Molluscs

Contacts

In the Sulaiman Fold Belt column

SandstoneLimestoneShale / mudFossils 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

Sulaiman Fold Belt Kohat Basin

Basin: Not recorded
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: shallow marine, shelf
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The Middle–Late Eocene shelf-carbonate and shale succession that overlies the Ghazij clastics; its Pirkoh and Habib Rahi limestones are regional marker and reservoir carbonates in the Sulaiman fold-belt.

Sources

Not recorded

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). Kirthar Group. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_kirthargroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Kirthar 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/kirthar-group (accessed August 30, 2026).

Below · older

Ghazij Group

Paleogene

Above · younger

Chitarwatta Formation