Precambrian • Precambrian formation In GSP lexicon

Shekhai Formation

Precambrian

Northern Indus Suture

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Precambrian · PrecambrianPrecambrian
Named by: Tahirkheli (1970)
Type locality: Gandghar Range
Thickness: at least 300 m
Lithology: Limestone and marble (locally oolitic, grey to light-brown and pink) with subordinate quartzite and shale; brecciated white marble is locally associated with igneous dykes.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A Late Precambrian limestone-and-marble unit capping the Attock-Cherat basement, above the Uch Khattak Formation.

Shekhai formation consists of dolomitic limestone with quartzite and slaty shales with igneous intrusions (Tahirkheli, 1970). Hussain et al. (1989) declared as Precambrian. Dolerite dykes and sills are commonly found in this block.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Khyber–Nowshera Belt column

LimestoneConformable

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

Khyber–Nowshera Belt

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

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Cement & lime

A source of cement rock — the Precambrian Shekhai Limestone is quarried, for example, at the Cherat lime plant about 30 km southeast of Peshawar.

Remarks

A Late Precambrian limestone-and-marble unit at the top of the Attock-Cherat/Gandghar basement succession, overlying the Uch Khattak Formation.

Sources (5)

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.
Drewes, H., Ahmad, Z. & Khan, R. (2007). Resource Evaluation of Selected Minerals and Industrial Commodities of the Potwar Plateau Area, Northern Pakistan. Chapter H of Regional Studies of the Potwar Plateau Area, Northern Pakistan (P.D. Warwick & B.R. Wardlaw, eds.), U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2078-H, 22 p.
Hylland, M.D., Riaz, M. & Ahmad, S. (1988). Geology of the Southern Gandghar Range, Pakistan. Geological Bulletin, University of Peshawar, Vol. 21, pp. 1-14.
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). Shekhai Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_shekhaiformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Shekhai 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/shekhai-formation (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Tahirkheli (1970).

Below · older

Uch Khattak Formation