Mesozoic • Triassic group In GSP lexicon

Musakhel Group

Permian–Triassic

Kohat-Potwar Basin

Cited in 3 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Published
Age: Mesozoic · Triassic · Early–Late TriassicPermian–Triassic
Named by: Shah (2009)
Type locality: Tredian hills in Mianwali district by Gee
Thickness: 2m
Lithology: Marine limestone and marl (Mianwali), fluvio-deltaic sandstone and shale (Tredian) and dolomitic limestone (Kingriali).
Synonyms: Not recorded

The Triassic Musakhel Group of the Salt Range — the Mianwali, Tredian and Kingriali formations — recording marine life's recovery after the end-Permian extinction.

Named by Shah (2009) after the Nammal Gorge near Musakhel, the Musakhel Group comprises the Triassic Mianwali, Tredian and Kingriali formations. It is paraconformable on the Zaluch Group and disconformable below the Surghar Group. The basal Mianwali Formation (Kummel, 1966) spans the Permian–Triassic boundary and has three members (Kathwai, Mittiwali, Narmia), with earliest-Scythian ammonites (Ophiceras) and a rich micro- and palynofauna.

Fossils

Ammonoids (Ceratites)Bivalves

Contacts

In the Kohat Basin column

LimestoneFossils 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: marine, deltaic
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The Triassic succession of the Salt Range and Trans-Indus ranges, comprising the Mianwali, Tredian and Kingriali formations; paraconformable on the Permian Zaluch Group and recording the Early Triassic marine recovery after the end-Permian extinction.

Sources (3)

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.
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

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_musakhelgroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Musakhel 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/musakhel-group (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Shah (2009).