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Drazinda Formation
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Drazinda Fm base reconstruction

Drazinda Fm


Period: 
Paleogene

Age Interval: 
Late Middle Eocene


Province: 
Pakistan Indus Basin

Type Locality and Naming

Ghazij Gr – uppermost (eighth) formation in Sulaiman Province (SP). Holotype section: Drazinda village. Hypo: Dhurwali Chur. Author: W.R. Hemphill and A.H. Kidwai, 1973. Reference section: Same lithology as in the type section.


Lithology and Thickness

Claystone. It consists of dark brownish to chocolate color shale, claystone, siltstone and marl. Marl intercalations increase up section where gypsum stringers also appear. Fossiliferous brownish limestone beds are present in the middle part. In the Gomal Pass, a greenish grey calcareous sandstone bed of about 10m thickness appears in the middle part. Celestite nodules and gypsum stringers are common in the northern part of Sulaiman Range.

Thickness: 15-500 m. Maximum thickness estimated in Drazinda area is 500 m. It is 400 m thick at the Domanda Post but only 15 m in Jandola and completely wedges out in the Spin Ghora (S. Waziristan). 110-120 m was drilled in the Sui gasfield.


Lithology Pattern: 
Claystone


Relationships and Distribution

Lower contact

Conformably underlain by Pirkoh Fm

Upper contact

Conformably overlain by Nari Fm (Oligocene).

Regional extent

The formation occurs as a recognizable unit from Marri-Bugti Hills to all along the eastern Sulaiman Range towards north. This formation along with Pirkoh Fm and Domanda Fm wedges out in the Spin Ghora Range in South Waziristan. It is encountered in Sui and other gas-fields to the south.


GeoJSON

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Fossils

The formation is highly fossiliferous comprising foraminifera, bivalves and echinoids. Middle Eocene restricted pelecypods are Nucula (lamellincula) depressilunulata, N. (saccela) pakistanica, Barbatia (plagiarea) pseudonavicula, Noetia magnifica, Chlamys cf. soriensis, C. cf. wynnie, Venerecardia soriensis, Chama zindapiri, Diplodonta pakistanica; and gastropods species, such as Turritella soriensis, T. (haustator) inbricataria, T. stiracoplus pakistanica and Motyris pseudoaralica.


Age 

Late Middle Eocene

Age Span: 

    Beginning stage: 
Bartonian

    Fraction up in beginning stage: 
0.5

    Beginning date (Ma): 
39.37

    Ending stage: 
Bartonian

    Fraction up in the ending stage: 
1.0

    Ending date (Ma):  
37.71

Depositional setting

The formation reflects deposition under high stand conditions.


Depositional pattern:  


Additional Information


Compiler:  

Nusrat K. Siddiqui