Paleozoic • Devonian–Carboniferous formation In GSP lexicon

Margach Formation

Devonian–Carboniferous

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Central Karakoram Batholith

Devonian–Carboniferous in the time scale →

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Devonian–Carboniferous · Late Devonian–Early CarboniferousDevonian–Carboniferous
Named by: Gaetani et al. (2004)
Type locality: Margach cattle shelter, north side of the Ribat River along Zoe glacier
Thickness: about 200 m
Lithology: About 200 m of slate, siltstone, sandstone and limestone.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous sandstone-and-limestone unit above the Shogram Formation.

Margach formation is named after the Margach cattle shelter on the north side of the Ribat River along Zoe glacier by Gaetani et al. (2004), consists of 200m slates, siltstone, sandstone and limestone. It overlies the Shogram formation and its age is Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous by Gaetani et al. (2004).

Fossils

Brachiopods (spiriferids, productoids)ConodontsReceptaculites

Contacts

In the Karakoram column

LimestoneMetamorphicSandstoneShale / 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.

Distribution & setting

Karakoram

Basin: Karakoram-Hindukush Basin
Region: Central Karakoram Batholith
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

A Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous mixed clastic–carbonate unit overlying the Shogram Formation in the upper Yarkhun/Karambar region.

Sources (5)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Zanchi, A. & Gaetani, M. (2011). The geology of the Karakoram range, Pakistan: the new 1:100,000 geological map of Central-Western Karakoram. Italian Journal of Geosciences, 130(2), 161-262.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Gaetani, M., Zanchi, A., Angiolini, L., Olivini, G., Sciunnach, D., Brunton, H., Nicora, A. & Mawson, R. (2004). The Carboniferous of the Western Karakoram (Pakistan). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 23(2), 275-305.
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). Margach Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_margachformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Margach 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/margach-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Gaetani et al. (2004).

Below · older

Shogram Formation

Devonian

Above · younger

Ribat Formation

Carboniferous