3Oil and Gas Training Institute, G & R Laboratory, OGDCL, Islamabad
Keywords:
Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF); Microfacies; Early Eocene; Dungan Formation; Sulaiman Belt.Abstract
The shallow marine carbonate sequences of the Dungan Formation are well-exposed in Sulaiman Fold-
Thrust Belt, Eastern Neotethys, Pakistan. In the study area, Palaeogene carbonate platform deposits of the
Dungan Formation consists of medium to thick bedded shallow marine carbonate sediments. The exposed
outcrop has a thickness of 56 m, underlain by Cretaceous Pab Formation and overlain by Eocene Ghazij
Group. The Dungan Formation was analyzed for microfacies, depositional environment and the age
diagnostic Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF) were utilized to date the formation. The formation contain rich
LBF assemblages such as nummulitids, alveolinids Lockhartia, Orbitolites, miliolids and algae. The
identified LBF suggest that the deposition of the Dungan Formation occurred in SBZ 5 to SBZ 7 biozones. On
the basis of LBF, other associated biota, and the amount of matrix, six carbonate microfacies have been
identified. These microfacies are interpreted to have been deposited in two major depositional environments
including inner and middle ramp settings.
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