Updated Stratigraphy and Mineral Potential of Sulaiman Basin, Pakistan
Sindh Univ. Res. Jour. (Sci. Ser.) Vol.42 (2) 39-66 (2010) SURJ UPDATED STRATIGRAPHY AND MINERAL POTENTIAL OF SULAIMAN BASIN, PAKISTAN M. Sadiq Malkani Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Sariab Road, Quetta, Pakistan Abstract Sulaiman (Middle Indus) Basin represents Mesozoic and Cainozoic strata and have deposits of sedimentary minerals with radioactive and fuel minerals. The new coal deposits and showings, celestite, barite, fluorite, huge gypsum deposits, marble (limestone), silica sand, glauconitic and hematitic sandstone (iron and potash), clays, construction stone are being added here. Sulaiman Basin was previously ignored for updating of stratigraphy and economic mineral potential. Here most of known information on Sulaiman Basin is compiled and presented along with new economic deposits. Keywords: Stratigraphy, Mineral deposits, Sulaiman Basin, Middle Indus Basin, Pakistan. 1. Introduction metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The study area is The Indus Basin which is a part of located in the central part of Pakistan (Fig.1a). Gondwanan lands (Southern Earth) is separated by an Previously, the Sulaiman Basin has received little Axial Belt (Suture Zone) from the Balochistan and attention, but this paper will add insights on updated Northern areas of Tethyan and Laurasian domains stratigraphy and new mineral discoveries. (northern earth). The Indus Basin (situated in the North-western part of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent) is 2. Materials and Methods located in the central and eastern part of Pakistan and The materials belong to collected field data, further subdivided in to upper (Kohat and Potwar), during many field seasons like lithology, structure, middle (Sulaiman) and Lower (Kirthar) basins. The stratigraphy and mineral commodities (Figs.
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