CHAPTER NO 03

3.1 Previous Work / Literature Review

Salt Range had been under extensive geological studies for the last two
centuries. Details of contributions made by different investigators are discussed
in the following session.

3.2 Work in the 19th Century

The name Salt Range was first time used by Stuart Elphisnton a British
envoy to the court of Kabul. He traveled from 1808-1815 across this province and
noted the mining of salt from the salt deposits of salt range. The recorded history
of geological research dates back to the middle of the 19 th century when the first
geological survey was undertaken by La Messurier (1844) for antimony and lead
in Balochistan.
Earliest mentioned report of the coal was prepared by Dr. Jameson in
1844. Dr. Fleming, a physician in British army wrote a broad report on the
geology of the area and created a geological map when he became incharge of
the Geological Survey of Salt Range, Punjab in 1853. The stratigraphic study,
which described the most inclusive geologic portrait of the Salt Range, was made
by Waagen and Wynne in 1873.
According to Wynne (1878), Fleming not only gave a preface account of
stratigraphy but also made some set of fossils, which were examined by Thomas
Davidson of England and Professor Koninck of Belgium. More details appeared
when Waagen (1879) produced a monograph on Productus Limestone followed
by a further monograph on Triassic Faunas in 1895. Noetling (1899-1900)
worked on the association between Permian and Triassic beds.

3.3 Work in the 20th Century

Gee (1944, 1945, 1948, 1980, 1983, 1989), described the mineral
resources of the North western India and recorded the occurrences of
Siliceous Laterite in Jurassic sequence.

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 He described them as A possible source of Iron and Aluminum but
declared that the deposits have so far proved too impure. Gee mentioned the
occurrence of the Jurassic coals in the Western Salt Range and described the
Paleocene coals of Dandot and Makarwal areas. He described the age of Saline
Series of the Punjab and Kohat, Pakistan and performed geological maps, at
scale 1: 50,000, of Salt Range series of Pakistan.
The first systematic geologic study of coal fields, in region, was started in
early 1960 by W. Danilchik and S.M.I. Shah in which regional mapping of
Surghar Range and detailed investigation of the Makarwal coal field was taken
up. This work was extended eastward by Geological Survey of Pakistan to cover
the Salt Range coal fields. Accordingly, Bhatti (1967, unpublished) studied the
Permian coal fields of Western Salt Range; Abbas (1968, unpublished) carried
out study in Eastern Salt Range coal fields, whereas the investigations, in the
Central Salt Range coal fields, were carried out by the S.M.I. Shah (1961-1963).
N. Fatmi published his work in 1966 and 1968 on other neighbouring
areas in Salt Range. R.E. Grant published his paper on the Late Permian
Trilobites from the Salt Range. He wrote another paper on the Brachiopodes from
Permian-Triassic boundery beds and age of Chhidru Formation in 1970. B.R.
Hussain published a paper giving the new name, Saidwali member to the lower
part of the Amb Formation of Permian.
B. Kummel published paper on the study of Ammonoids from Kathwai
member, Mianwali Formation. Kummel and Teichert published another paper in
1970 in which they gave the measurement of Permo-Triassic sections and
concluded on the laboratory work about fossils. In 1972, M. Ashraf, M. Waheed
Qureshi and F.A. Faruqi published a preliminary report on economic geology of
bauxite and laterite deposits of Kattha area, Salt Range.
Crawford (1974) worked on The Salt Range, the Kashmir Syntaxis and
the Pamir Arc. In 1974, A.H. Gardazi and M. Ashraf published a preliminary
report on gravity structures in Kattha Masral area, Salt Range. They described
folding as sharp hinge anticlines (along valleys) and flat synclines (along ridges).

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In 1975, Munir Ghazanfar and his companions published a report on Khewra field
trip of Salt Range, in which they briefly described the physiography, structure,
geologic history and stratigraphy of the Salt Range.
Johnson, G.D. Johnson, N.M. and Tahirkheli, R.A.K. (1979), worked on
Magnetic Reversals, Stratigraphic and Sedimentary Tectonic history of upper
Siwalik Group, Eastern Salt Range and Southwestern Kashmir. This shows
anticlockwise movement of basin during deposition of Siwaliks. Dahlen, Suppe
and Devis (1983), worked on Mechanics of Fold and Thrust Belts and
Accretionary wedges.
Yeats (1984) worked on late Quaternary deformation of Salt Range. He
also mentioned some chronological events during formation of Salt Range.
Yeats, Khan, and Akhtar (1984) worked on the thrust tectonics and the role of
Salt in the fold and thrust belt.
Lillie and Yousuf (1986) gave Modern analogs for some mid crustal
reflections observed beneath collisional mountain belts. Malincomeo and Adams
(1986) studied Lithospheric under-thrusting in the Western Himalaya inferred
from gravity data. Johnson, Raynold and Burbank (1986) worked on Late
Cenozoic tectonics and sedimentation in the Northwestern Himalaya Foredeep.
Leathers (1987) constructed Balanced structural cross-section of the
Western Salt Range and Potwar Plateau, Pakistan. Pennock (1987) and Baker
(1988) constructed Balanced structural cross-sections of the Eastern Salt
Range, Central Salt Range and Potwar Plateau of Pakistan.
Burbank, M.S. and Lawerence, R.D. in 1988 worked on evidences for late
Precambrian to Early Cambrian orogeny in Northwestern Himalaya. Burbank in
1989 gave the comments on the development of the Himalaya Frontal Thrust
Zone, Salt Rage, Pakistan. A. Qayyum 1991, worked on the detailed structure of
Salt Range and crustal shortening in the Salt Range in different episodes.
Chaudhary, M.N. Ghazanfar, M. Ramsay, G. Qayyum and Spencer (1992)
presented a detailed synthesis on Northwestern Himalayan tectonic subdivision.
Tectonic elements i.e. sub, lower and higher Himalayas of Northwestern
Himalaya were the main emphasis. Muldar, T.J. and Burbank in 1993 worked on

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the impact of uplift pattern of fluvial deposition, an example of Salt Range,
Northwest Himalayan Foreland and Pakistan.

3.4 Work in the 21th Century

Arif, Butt and Ghazanfar (2002) worked on Mapping of Galliat area and
Environment of Deposition, Digenetic changes and Development of Porosity in
Early Carbonate in the Salt Range and Surghar Range. Ghazi (2002, 2004)
studied the Microfacies analysis of the Lower Eocene Sakesar Limestone in the
Nilawahan Gorge and Sedimentology of the Kamlial Formation from Khokhar
Bala, Central Salt Range, Pakistan.
Shakeel (2005) studied the Geology of Nilawahan area and
Sedimentology of Lower Permian Warchha Sandstone. Javed, Ashraf, Nasir,
Farooq, Arif, Siddique, Sohail, and Javed (2006) worked on Lithostructural
mapping of Pail, Khabbaki and Bhilomar area and Sedimentology of Sakesar
Limestone. Khokhar, Inayat and Rehman (2006) worked on Lithostructural
mapping of Rakh Karangal-Lehri Shahnawaz area of the Eastern Salt Range.
Baitu, Deo, Atiq, and Wahab (2007) worked on Lithostructural mapping of
Uchali-Mardwal area and Microfacies of Nammal Formation, Soan Sakesar
Valley District Khushab. A. Butt, Ehsan and Gohar (2008) worked on
Lithostructural mapping of Tobar, Pidh and Khewra and adjoining areas with
Sedimentology and Sequence Stratigraphy of Cambrian sequence, Eastern Salt
Range.

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