very much simple report,,hope u will learn much more from it....

1. Geological Field Work II to Hazara Area
Under the supervision of Dr. Azmat khan Saab
Group Members
Department of Geology
Shaheed BB University Dir (U)

2. Table of Contents
An overview of the Hazara Arc Stratigraphy............................1
Acknowledgment..........................................................................1
Abstract .........................................................................................1
Chapter # 01(Introduction)........................................................2
Chapter # 02 (Regional Tectonics of Hazara area)..................3
Chapter # 03 (Stratigraphy)........................................................5
Chapter # 04 Field Word ..............................................................7
Chichali Shale..............................................................................8
Hazara Slates...............................................................................9
Kawagarh Limestone.................................................................10
Hangu Formation......................................................................11
Lockhart formation ...................................................................12
Samanasuk Formation .............................................................13
Datta Sandstone ........................................................................14
Meranjani Limestone.................................................................16
Chorgali Formation ..................................................................16
Abbott Abad Formation ............................................................17
Tanawal Formation ..................................................................18

3. AN OVERVIEW OF THE
HAZARA ARC STRATIRAPHY (NORTHERN PAKISTAN)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
We thank Dr Azmat khan, Ehtisham Islam & Ikram ud udin sab by giving an
educational field trip and helping us in understanding the Geology of the assigned area with
their proficiency and expert opinions.
ABSTRACT:
The Hazara Arc, a NE-SW trending crescent shaped trough and situated on the
western limb of the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxes, is the northernmost extremity of the
sedimentary succession of the northeastern margin of the Indian plate. It is bounded on its
north by the panial thrust and on its southern side, by the main boundary thrust, the
sedimentary geology of Azad Kashmir from Balakot-Muzaffarabad forms the northern tip of
the Hazara Arc.
The geological history of the Hazara arc begins with a geosynclinals setting as is evidenced
by the turbidite deposits. Afterwards, it remained as a shallow subsiding trough except it
deepened during the upper cretaceous.
In Hazara stratigraphy, the Precambrian-Cambrian unconformable contact is marked
by the basal tanakki conglomerate. There is invariable stratigraphic break in the succession
below the upper Jurassic. The cretaceous- tertiary boundary is marked by the residual
deposits as laterite of ferruginous pisolite. The Eocene-Miocene time gape is marked by the
basal pebble-bed (fatehjang member).
Although the stratigraphic framework indicates vicissitude in the paleogeographic
pattern of the Hazara arc, the Miocene time determines the Hazara arc as a hinterland to the
adjacent actively subsiding pootwar basin.
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4. CHAPTER # 01:
INTRODUCTION
Hazara range is the northern most extremity of sedimentary succession of the north-
west margin of the Indian plate. Northern Hazara is metamorphic and southern Hazara is
sedimentary.
It is bounded its north by Panjal thrust on its southern side, by main boundary thrust.
The main boundary thrust has brought the older rocks over the Murree formation which is the
youngest one. The stratigraphy of Hazara range start from pre-Cambrian age and ends at of
Miocene age.
ABBOT ABAD (S-E HAZARA)
 Precambrian-Miocene age rocks.
 Fault and other unconformities.
 Too much deformed area, because of Eastern Hazara syntaxes.
 MBT & MMT, Thrusted Zone & Overturned sequence.
Our field trip to Hazara area took place on 10
th
of august 2017. Mansehra,
Abbottabad and Haripur are part of Hazara area. It was three days’ trip to visit different
localities to study geology of that regions. Mostly areas were covered with pure vegetation.
The main theme of that field was to study the stratigraphy of that area. We made different
stops to study stratigraphy, structural geology of different formations.
The Hazara arc, a NE-SW trending crescent shaped trough, forms the western border
of the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxes. It is the northernmost extremity of the sedimentary
succession along the northwestern margin of the Indian plate. Its northern margin is bounded
by the Panjal thrust which separates its sedimentary geology from the low grade
metamorphic (Tanol formation). It is separated from the neighboring potwar basin on its
southern side, by the Murree fault (MBT). The town Balakot a gateway to the higher
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5. Himalaya (Kaghan valley), forms the northern tip of the Hazara arc. The main highway from
Rawalpindi to Peshawar is the dividing line between the western limit of the Hazara arc
(Hitherto known as Margala hills) and the E-W trending kala chitta ranges at a location
where the mountainous belt is abruptly rising above the potwar basin. The purpose of the
present contribution to highlight some of the geological aspects of the Hazara arc with
reference to its basinal evolution and stratigraphic framework.
CHAPTER # 02:
REGIONAL TECTONICS OF HAZARA AREA
The active fold - and - thrust belt along the northwestern margin of the Indo - Pakistan
plate is divisible into two parts - the Sulaiman belt and the NW Himalayan fold and thrust
belt. The former is believed to be along a zone of transgression, whereas the latter is
associated with the main zone of Himalayan convergence (Jadoon, 1992). The compressional
forces being experienced in the NW Himalayan fold and thrust belt are believed to be a result
of the ongoing collision of the Eurasian and Indo- Pakistan plates that took place in the late
Eocene to Early Oligocene. The Indo- Pakistan plate, relative to the
Eurasian plate is still moving northwards at a rate of about 2 mm/yr. (Patriat and Achache, 1984).
In 1981, Gansar classified Himalayas from south to north as:
MFT (Main frontal Thrust) to MBT (Main Boundary Thrust) as Sub-Himalayas.
MBT (Main Boundary Thrust) to MCT (Main Central Thrust) as Lesser Himalayas.
MCT (Main Central Thrust) to MMT (Main Mantle Thrust) as Higher-Himalayas
The southeast Hazara, being very close to the MBT (to the north of MBT), has
undergone intense deformation. In the study area, this deformation is marked by southeast
verging thrust faults, and northeast trending anticlines. This northeast orientation of the
major structures suggests that the area has been under the influence of northwest-southeast
oriented stresses.
The hinge lines of most of the folds in the study area are found to be northeast-
southwest trending which also suggests that the area is subjected to northwest-southeast
compressive stresses.
The style and deformation in the western limb of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxes differs from
that of the eastern limb. The Salt Range Formation acts as a decollement under the western
limb of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis and is absent under the eastern limb.
Due to the presence of Salt Range Formation, the Hazara System has low angle faults and
low topography. The angle of these thrust foulst grandually increases from SW to NE where the
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thichness of Salt Range Formation Decreases. In the eastern limb of the Hazara-Kashmir
Syntaxis, the absence of Salt Rang Formation developed the high angle thrust faults (MBT and

6. PT) and high topography. There is strong coupling between sediments and basement as
compared to the western limb of the Syntaxis.
Due to the collision between Indian and Eurasian plates crystalline basement has been
overridden by slices of its own northern margin. The SSE stresses on the western limb and
SSW stresses on the eastern limb developed the thin skin thrust faults in the sedimentary
wedge. These thrust sheets have brought in contact the deferent litho logical units.
Situated W of the North-West-Himalaya Syntaxis (WADIA, 1931), Hazara is in the
neighborhood of the Salt Range, Kashmir, and of the Lower Himalayas of the region SE of
the Syntaxis. This seems to be responsible for its unique sedimentary development. It is well-
known that the succession of the Lower Himalayas is very poor in fossils, in contrast to the
wealth of the paleontological record in the Tibetan Zone, N of the Great Himalayan Range.
Therefore, it is concluded that the trough of the Lower Himalayas was separated from
the sea by a ridge (G. FUCHS, 1967 border of India & Pakistan. It has Assam in the east and
Nanga Parbat in the west.
Overall, it is western most part of Himalayas in the world but NW Himalayas in
Pakistan. They include Kashmir basin and Kaghan valley. This region was formally named
as Punjal Himalayas or Foreland basin in 1964 by Gansar. Indus River is located in its NW
direction and Sutluj is located in the east.
Geological Framework
A sedimentary depression, whether a basin or a trough, naturally has a well-defined
outline. For example, the potwar basin is bounded on the north, by the kala chitta range and
the Hazara arc. On its south is the salt range. The Jhelum river defines the eastern boundary,
while the Indus river marks the western limit.
In this context, the configuration of the Hazara arc presents an interesting geological
setting which draws attention towards a perusal of the sedimentary geology o the Azad
Kashmir from the town’s Balakot to Muzaffarabad with reference to its stratigraphic and
structural relationship with Hazara arc.
The structural configuration of the Hazara arc shows that it forms the western limb of
the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxes and the town Balakot forms the northern tip of the Hazara arc.
However, the sedimentary geology of the azad Kashmir between the town’s Balakot and
Muzaffarabad appears to be a dislocated lobe-shaped segment which is situated in the
immediate vicinity of the Hazara arc giving an individual identity. The sedimentary geology
of the lobe-shaped segment, however, exposes the topmost Sirban dolomite member of the
Cambrian Abbottabad formation and the Paleocene-Eocene rocks of the Hazara arc
stratigraphy.

7. The stratigraphic framework, the structural settings and the geological locations of the
town Balakot and Muzaffarabad, all are in favor of interpretation that the geology of the azad
Kashmir between Balakot and Muzaffarabad forms an integral part of the Hazara arc.
The present day geological setting of the dislocated lobe-shaped segment of the azad
Kashmir in the neighboring of the Hazara arc, owes its origin due to structural complexity,
whereby the Nathiagali thrust appear to have contributed in moving the strata of the Hazara
arc to give rise to such geological framework.
CHAPTER # 03
STRATIGRAPHY
The southern two-thirds of the area is composed of three structural blocks, each with
somewhat different stratigraphy. In this report, the three areas are designated as follows: the
axial zone of the syntaxes inside the bend of the Murree fault, the Garhi Habib Ullah syncline
between the Murree and Panjal faults on the western limb of the syntaxes, and the western
arc area west of the Panjal fault. A possible fourth area is west of the Darband fault, but for
lack of information it is included in the western arc area. No single stratigraphic sequence
represents the whole area because lateral changes in formations and groups of formations
result in different sequences in the different structural areas. Strike-slip and vertical
movements along the Murree and Panjal faults probably contributed to the differences
between the areas by moving contrasting fades together.
Columnar sections showing the stratigraphic correlation between the three structural
areas. The descriptions of the stratigraphic units are based upon information from all three
areas. The main differences in stratigraphy between the three structural areas may be
summarized as follows:
(1) The rocks of the Tanawal Formation in the western arc area are absent in the adjacent
Garhi Habib Ullah syncline; and (2) the entire section (2,000 ft.) of Jurassic and Cretaceous
rocks (Datta Formation-Kawagarh Limestone) in the Garhi Habib Ullah syncline is absent in
the adjacent axial zone of the syntaxes. In one or more of these three areas, regional
unconformities are found at the top of the Hazara Formation, Precambrian to Ordovician, the
Tanawal Formation (Ordovician) to (Devonian), and the Kingriali Formation (Carboniferous
to Triassic), Within a given structural block, certain rock formations also undergo rapid
changes in lithology and thickness from place to place. The regional unconformities and
rapid facies changes show that considerable tectonic activity must have taken place in the
region long before the Himalayan orogeny, although any such earlier movements did not
involve penetrative deformation or metamorphism.
The stratigraphic nomenclature in Hazara has not yet come under study by the
Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan, and therefore the formation names used in this report
5Page
have not yet been formalized according to the stratigraphic code of Pakistan (Day, 1062).
However, the correlation of Jurassic and younger rocks of Hazara has been established with

8. rocks in areas that have been studied and standardized by the committee, and these approved
names are used wherever possible. The areas with standardized nomenclature that relate
directly to the Hazara region are the Kohat area, the Trans-Indus area, and the Potwar-Kala
Chitta area.
CHAPTER # 04:
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9. FIELD WORD
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10. STOP 1: CHICHALI SHALE
N34º 09.123՜ min
E073º 18.028՜ min
Elevation: 1205 m.
Generally soft lithology, thinly laminated calcareous black shale interbedded with
thin sandstone. General trend is NE-SW. Ferruginous concretions & coating such as dense
silver grey and pyritic nodules with golden or rusty brown are recorded within the shale. At
places rounded or elliptical variegated colored clay nodules or concretions are
also recorded. At few places the color of Chichali Formation becomes brownish
grey and confused to be Patala Formation whoever the presence of Belemnites
and imprints of Belemnites confirm it Chichali Formation.
Black carbonaceous materials, thin beds and splintery shales. Flaky minerals and
black shale are also present. Interbeds of sandstone (iron content) and calcareous silty
sandstone with glauconitic nodules.
Fossils:
Belemnites and ammonites.
Contact:
Lower: Samana suk formation.
Age: Cretaceous.
FIGURE 1.1 Chichali shale of Cretaceous age, photo by Salman khan

11. STOP 2: HAZARA SLATES
N34º 07.697՜ min
E073º 20.226՜ min
Elevation:1360m
Rock mainly comprises of slates, siltstone, claystone, quartzite and oblique
sandstone. Slates are highly jointed and generally form debris with splintery nature. Siltstone
is somewhat lighter in color than in clayey parts. Claystone is more thinly bedded ranging
from 1cm to 2.5cm layers from thin upto thick beds. Fine grained to medium grained
greywacke is also observed. It is dark grey to black on fresh surface and light grey or
brownish grey on weathered surface. There thickness varies from 10 to 20cm. Ripple marks,
Load casts and flute casts were also observed in fine sand and siltstone.
Bedding, perpendicular breaking along the cleavage direction. Having dull texture-
very fine grain and thin layers. Hazara slates also having phyllite and layers of graphite.
Dark or rusty brown slates.
Some siltstone beds are also present. Because of thrust fault( bagnothar thrust), older
units have overcome on younger to top.
Diagnostic property of these slates are pencil structures.
Normal contact:
Lower: Basement rocks
Upper: Tanawal quartzite
Actual Contact:
Upper: with some other radiometric dating (rubidium- strontium method)
Age:
Precambrian Page9

12. FIGURE 1.2 Hazara slates of Hazara formation Precambrian age photo by Salman khan
STOP 3: KAWAGARH LIMESTONE
N34º 07.70՜ min
E073º 20.270՜ min
Elevation: 1555m
Thin-thick bedded limestone units also called sub lithographic limestone, which is
comparatively hard, compact and very fine grain (micritic).
Kawagarh Formation comprises fine grain creamish grey yellowish grey well
bedded Limestone. Light medium grey to light yellowish grey on fresh surface. A fresh color
also imparts with off white or light grey or brownish grey. Limestone is light yellowish grey
to whitish grey on weathered surface. Limestone is generally fine-medium grained also
recorded at some places. Thickness ranges from 30 to 60 cm.
It is tough & hard to hammer and break with conchoidal fractures whoever some beds
break with irregular fractures. Intercalations of shale are also present. Calcite veins abundant in
some parts. Limestone is dolomitized at places and calcite is dolomitize in few patches.
Fossils: foraminifera species.
Age:
late-cretaceous
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13. Figure 1.3 Kawagarh formation of late cretaceous age photo by Salman khan
STOP 4: HANGU FORMATION
Hangu Formation is exposed in the form of thin band and relatively with highly
weathered exposure at many places in the field area. It is mainly comprising of sandstone,
clays, laterite, limestone and carbonaceous material. Sandstone part is medium to coarse
grained and very hard, whitish grey on fresh surface and maroonish brown on weathered
surface.
Fireclay is grey, whitish grey on fresh surface and weathered in variegated colors as
yellow and red. Laterite part is red to maroonish yellow.
The formation is missing and is being incompetent, crushed, over and underlying
limestone and is replaced by conglomerate beds (1 to 3m thick) and compacted layer of
conglomeritic nodules (2.6cm). Nodules are composed of Limestone cemented with calcite.
Shape of nodules is rounded to well rounded. They show poorly sorted and mark an
unconformity.
Page11

14. Variegated sandstone with some carbonaceous shale, iron containing clay-reddish
or maroon color. Quartzose sandstone beds are present as well. white sandstone beds,
lateroids (iron + aluminum ore), it represents subaerial exposure.
Thickness: one meter.
Fossils:
Forums, corals, gastropods and bivalves.
Environment of deposition:
Shelfful environment.
Age: Paleocene
FIGURE 1.4 Hangu formation of Paleocene age photo by Salman khan
STOP5: LOCKART FORMATION
Dark grey, nodular shale and marl- intercalation. Limestone is hard & tough and
gives fetid smell (rotten egg). Bedding is massive but not clear. Nodules are present which
are 3 to 5 cm in diameter composed of hard Limestone while surrounded material is
calcareous relatively soft and abundant in fossils. Irregular fractures and abundant forums of
2 to 3 mm size are present. Calcite veins are frequent and generally 1 to 2cm thick.
K-T boundary (Cretaceous-Tertiary) (Paleocene)(Kawagarh-Lockhart) represent
time gape/missing boundary. K-T is called mass extinction because organisms were vanished
after cretaceous age. Mass extinction represents a major unconformity. There are theories for
mass extinction.

15.  Volcanism
 Magnetic reversal and
 Meteorites impacts.
Fossils:
Forums, corals and mollusks.
Environment of deposition:
Shelfful marine environment
Age:
Paleocene.
Figure 1.5 Lockhart formation of Paleocene age photo by Salman khan
STOP 6: SAMANA SUK FORMATION
N34º 06.613՜ min
E073º 20.607՜ min
Elevation: 1826m
Limestone(major), grey-dark grey (fresh surface) and brownish (weathered surface).
Oolitic limestone, shale and marl interbeds are present.
Tempestuous beds/storm beds and borrows are present. Synclinal and anticlinal folds
P
a
g
e
are present which are asymmetrical. Thickness ranges from 10 cm to 24 cm. It shows well

16. developed joints and fractures, joints are almost perpendicular to bedding. Limestone shows
dolomitic patches in many parts however it is absent in places. Oolites are either not
developed or is difficult to identify whoever at some places very well developed are also
present. Thin irregular 1mm to 2mm calcite veins are developed in Formation
Fossils:
Gastropods and bivalves.
contact:
Lower: disconformable with Datta formation.
Upper: Chichali shale
Environment of deposition:
Inner shelf -outer shelf
Age:
Mid-Jurassic
FIGURE 1.6 Samana suk formation of Mid-Jurassic age photo by Salman khan
STOP 7: DATTA SANDSTONE
N34º 06.202՜ min
E073º 20.139՜ min
Elevation: 1914m
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17. Type locality: Azizabad Nala.
Sandstone has rough surface and medium grain size. siltstone and mud stone are also
present. And borrows and bio clasts can also be found. T has dull grey, orange color patches
and having no clear bedding. Datta Formation is hard, tough quartzose and ferruginous
sandstone. It passes through back of houses and terminates upstream side of Nala and even in
whole study area. General trend of the formation is NE-SW.
Datta Formation is mainly sandstone, it is brownish, reddish brown and dark grey on
fresh surface as well as on weathered surface. Beds are 30 to 40cm thick. Grain size is
medium to coarse, well cemented, tough to hammer.
Lower contact with Hazara Formation is unconformable
Bioturbation: The disturbance of layers by organisms.
Thickness: 30-40 m
Fossils:
Bivalves and borrow malting.
Normal contact:
Lower: Kingriali formation
Upper: Shinawri formation
Actual contact:
Lower: Hazara slates
Upper: Samana suk formation
Age:
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18. Jurassic
FIGURE 1.7 Datta sandstone of Jurassic age photo by Salman khan
STOP 8: MERANJANI LIMESTONE
N34º 5.005՜ min
E073º 21.990՜ min
Elevation:2427m
Limestone unit within Hazara slates, it is a unit within a large unit. Algal
laminations are present, when filament like algae is present in ocean and get dies so goes to
base of the ocean then with the deposition of CACO3 it preserves in CACO3. and algal
lamination shape is called algal stromatolites.
Age: Page16

19. Precambrian-Cambrian
FIGURE 1.8 Meranjani limestone of Precambrian-Cambrian age photo by Salman khan
STOP 9: CHORGALI FORMATION
N34º 04.711՜ min
E073º 32.316՜ min
Elevation:2341m
Limestone (creamy light grey color, thin beds), shale and marl.
Fossils:
Forums and Numatolites.
contact:
Upper: Hazara slates.
Age:
Eocene
Page17

20. FIGURE 1.9 Chorgali formation of Eocene age photo by Salman khan
STOP 10: ABBOTT ABAD FORMATION:
It is mainly composed of dolomite with some quartz, limestone and shale. Maroon
color siltstone is also present. Dolomite is thick bedded & having chert beds in it. Butcher
chop weathering is also present on weathered surface. We have seen algal laminations shows
primary origin of dolomite.
Dolomite it is very hard, there is no effervescence with dilute HCL and there are
Butcher’s cuts effect. Trace fossils are also present, which are leaf prints. Large boulders of
calcareous material are present called Calcareous tufa. They contain organic matter which
weathered & dissolve easily, so leave pores in it.
The formation mainly consists of dolomite, quartzite and phyllite, with many
lithologic changes from place to place. It is divided into five members.
a) Sirban dolomite
b) Mirpur member
c) Muhammadagali member
d) Sanghargali member
e) Tanaki boulder beds
Lower Contact: Tanawal formation
Age:
Early Cambrian age
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21. FIGURE 2.0 Abbottabad formation of Cambrian age photo by Salman khan
STOP 11: TANAWAL FORMATION:
It is a low grade metamorphic rock mainly composed of quartzite with interbeds of
argillite. Quartzite is thick bedded and coarse grained which represent the beach environment
while argillite is thin bedded and fine grained which represent the lagoon environment.
The formation consists of Quartoze schist, quartzite and schistose conglomerate. The
south of Mansehra granite the formation consists of medium grained quartzite and fine
grained mica-quartz schist. To the north of Mansehra granite the formation mainly consists of
granite and biotite muscovite-quartz schist. It is composed of low grade schist and fine
grained mica quartz schist. Alternate beds of schist and quartzite. kink fold and mullion
structure are also observed.
There are boudinage structures in Tanawal formation.
BOUDINAGE:
These are eye like structures & formed when compact rock came in between
relatively soft rocks. Due to compression, the compact rock does not contract but form pinch
& swell structure which is called Boudinage.
Upper Contact: Abbott Abad formation
Age:
Precambrian
Page19

22. FIGURE 2.1 Tanawal formation of Precambrian age photo by Salman khan
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