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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET)
Volume 12, Issue 4, April 2021, pp. 511-517, Article ID: IJARET_12_04_049
Available online at https://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=12&Issue=4
ISSN Print: 0976-6480 and ISSN Online: 0976-6499
https://doi.org/10.34218/IJARET.12.4.2021.049
© IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed
NANNOFOSSIL BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND
PALEOENVIRONMENTS OF THE PALEOGENE
PATALA FORMATION AND NAMMAL
FORMATION, KOHAT-POTWAR AREA,
PAKISTAN
Sara Sikander Khan
1*
, Dr. Kamran Mirza
2
, Rabia Imtiaz
3
, Laraib Riaz
4
,
Jabir Nazir
5
, Beenish Ali
6
*1
Institute of Geology, University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
2
Institute of Geology, University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
3
Institute of Geology, University of Punjab, Lahore. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Pakistan
4
Government Post Graduate College for Women, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
5
G-SAG Lab, National Center of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.
6
Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan
*Corresponding Author
ABSTRACT
Nannofossils are extensively dispersed in marine rocks from Jurassic to Recent time.
They are primary biostratigraphic age indicators of marine sedimentary rocks.
Calcareous nannofossils provide outstanding mapping tools for both surface and
subsurface rock units especially in the areas where complex facies patterns are
displayed in lithological units and are important tools in determining depositional
paleoenvironments. In Pakistan few scientists had worked on nannofossils of this area.
Haq (1971) examined Paleogene Calcareous Nannofossils from the Salt Range and the
Sulaiman Range in Pakistan. Köthe et.al. (1988) examined calcareous nannofossils
from the Salt Range, the Surghar Range and the Sulaiman Range. Paleogene rocks are
well exposed throughout the Kohat-Potwar province of Pakistan, except in the Khisor
Marwat Ranges, South Western part of the basin. In Kohat-Potwar area of Pakistan,
the Patala Formation and the Nammal Formation of Paleogene age are rich in
nannofossils and both rocks have a good potential for hydrocarbon resources. The
Patala Formation acts as source rock and Nammal formation acts as reservoir rock for
hydrocarbons. These formations are widely distributed in the Salt Range and Trans
Indus ranges in the south, in Hazara (except Nammal formation). These areas are easily
accessible, lithologic sections were measured and samples were collected for detailed
nannofossil biostratigraphy.