Mesozoic • Triassic formation In GSP lexicon

Nikanai Ghar Formation

Triassic

Northern Indus Suture · Malakand

Part of Alpurai Group

Triassic in the time scale →

Cited in 8 sources Last reviewed Aug 10, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Under review
Age: Mesozoic · TriassicTriassic
Named by: DiPietro (1990)
Type locality: Stream valleys on the south side of Jafar Sar, south-central Lower Swat.
Thickness: at least ~1200 m
Lithology: Marble (the Nikanai Ghar Marble).
Synonyms: Nikanai Ghar Formation; Nikanai Ghar Marble; Nakanai Ghar Formation

The Triassic Nikanai Ghar Marble capping the Alpurai Group.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Swat–Malakand column

MetamorphicMixedFossils recordedConformableUnconformity

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

Swat–Malakand

Basin: Northern Indus Suture
Region: Malakand
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The marble at the top of the Alpurai Group, a Triassic component of the Mesozoic cover of the Swat Nappe; it overlies the Saidu Formation.

Sources (8)

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.
DiPietro, J.A., Pogue, K.R., Lawrence, R.D., Baig, M.S., Hussain, A. & Ahmad, I. (1993). Stratigraphy south of the Main Mantle Thrust, Lower Swat, Pakistan. In: Treloar, P.J. & Searle, M.P. (eds), Himalayan Tectonics. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 74, 207-220.
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.
Afrasiab, Nazir-ur-Rehman, Shah, A.H., Rehman, A., Anees, S.A., Rehan, S., Mehmood, K. & Zaman, I. (2024). Petrographic Analysis and physico-mechanical Properties of Nikanai Ghar Formation, Swabi, North-western Pakistan. Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences, 57(2), 94-113.
Pogue, K.R., Harris, A.G. & Hussain, A. (1992). Paleozoic and Mesozoic stratigraphy of the Peshawar basin, Pakistan: Correlations and implications. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 104(8), 915-927.
Hussain, A., DiPietro, J.A. & Pogue, K.R. (1998). Stratigraphy and structure of the Peshawar basin, Pakistan. Journal of Nepal Geological Society, 18, 25-35.

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). Nikanai Ghar Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_nakanaigharformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Nikanai Ghar 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/nakanai-ghar-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: DiPietro (1990).

Below · older

Saidu Formation

Triassic–Jurassic