Cenozoic • Paleogene–Neogene group GSP memoir

Vihowa Group

Oligocene–Pliocene

Balochistan Basin · Kakar-Khurasan Basin

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene–Neogene · Oligocene–PlioceneOligocene–Pliocene
Named by: Malkani (2014)
Type locality: Vihowa Rud-type section31.0667°N, 70.2667°E
Thickness: 430-700 m thick. m
Lithology: Fluvial sandstone, mudstone and conglomerate (molasse).
Synonyms: Talar Group; Hinglaj Group (in part)

The Oligocene–Pliocene Vihowa Group — Chitarwata, Vihowa, Litra and Chaudhwan — the Sulaiman version of the Siwaliks, full of fossil mammals.

Introduced by Malkani (2009), the Vihowa Group (type section at Vihowa Rud) comprises the Chitarwata, Vihowa, Litra and Chaudhwan formations — molasse deposited by river systems following the collision of the Indo-Pakistan and Asian plates. Oligocene–Pliocene.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Zhob-Muslim Bagh column

SandstoneConglomerateLimestoneFossils 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

Zhob-Muslim Bagh

Basin: Balochistan Basin
Region: Kakar-Khurasan Basin
Depositional environment: fluvial, continental
Coordinates: 31.0667°N, 70.2667°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Building stone Metals & minerals

Clay deposits; primary and secondary uranium mineralization; silica sand (Zinda Pir, Dera Bugti); ochre / iron; building sandstone and construction aggregate.

Remarks

The Oligocene–Pliocene molasse of the Sulaiman foreland, comprising the Chitarwata, Vihowa, Litra and Chaudhwan formations; the Sulaiman equivalent of the Siwalik Group, yielding rich Miocene–Pliocene mammal faunas.

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.
Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
Malkani, M.S. (2010). Updated Stratigraphy and Mineral Potential of Sulaiman Basin, Pakistan. Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series), 42(2), 39-66.
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: 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: Appears in a single-author Geological Survey of Pakistan memoir (Malkani & Mahmood 2017), not cross-confirmed against the Shah lexicon. The Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan is largely inactive, so documented provenance — not formal ratification — is the available signal.

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_vihowagroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Vihowa 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/vihowa-group (accessed August 30, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Malkani (2014).

Above · younger

Litra Formation

Neogene