The Chitarwata Formation is a

geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics (lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock expo ...

in western

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, made up of

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...

and early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

terrestrial

fluvial In geography and geology, fluvial processes are associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. When the stream or rivers are associated with glaciers, ice sheets, or ice caps, the term glaciofluvial or fluv ...

facies In geology, a facies ( , ; same pronunciation and spelling in the plural) is a body of rock with specified characteristics, which can be any observable attribute of rocks (such as their overall appearance, composition, or condition of formatio ...

. The sediments were deposited in coastal

depositional environment In geology, depositional environment or sedimentary environment describes the combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes associated with the deposition of a particular type of sediment and, therefore, the rock types that will b ...

s (

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

, strandplain and

tidal flat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...

s) when Pakistan was partly covered by the

Tethys Ocean The Tethys Ocean ( el, Τηθύς ''Tēthús''), also called the Tethys Sea or the Neo-Tethys, was a prehistoric ocean that covered most of the Earth during much of the Mesozoic Era and early Cenozoic Era, located between the ancient continents ...

Paleomagnetic Paleomagnetism (or palaeomagnetismsee ), is the study of magnetic fields recorded in rocks, sediment, or archeological materials. Geophysicists who specialize in paleomagnetism are called ''paleomagnetists.'' Certain magnetic minerals in rocks ...

data indicates an age range of around 28 to 17 million years ago, with its base in the

, and its upper boundary, where it meets the overlying Vihowa Formation, of the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was p ...

. Together with the Vihowa Formation, the Chitarwata Formation records the

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to t ...

of the Himalayan

foreland basin A foreland basin is a structural basin that develops adjacent and parallel to a mountain belt. Foreland basins form because the immense mass created by crustal thickening associated with the evolution of a mountain belt causes the lithosphere ...

during the collision of the Indian and Asian tectonic plates, the transition from marginal marine to

environments, and the

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of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over ...

Fossil content

The Chitarwata Formation has provided a wealth of terrestrial mammal fossils of the late

Paleogene The Paleogene ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of ...

and early

Neogene The Neogene ( ), informally Upper Tertiary or Late Tertiary, is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period Mya. ...

, or

Tabenbulakian The Tabenbulakian age is a period of geologic time (28.4–23.03 Mya (unit), Ma) within the Oligocene, Oligocene Epoch of the late Paleogene, Paleogene Period and Miocene, Miocene Epoch of the early Neogene, Neogene Period, used more specifically w ...

; the last of the

Asian land mammal age The Asian land mammal ages, acronym ALMA, establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric Asian fauna beginning 58.7 Mya during the Paleogene and continuing through to the Miocene ( Aquitanian) (23.03 Ma). These periods are referred to as ages, stag ...

s (ALMA). Among many others, the following fossils are reported from the formation:Chitarwata Formation
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was cre ...

.org

Mammals

* '' Anthracotherium adiposum'', ''A. bugtiense'', ''A. silistrense'' * '' Asiadelphis akbarbugtii'' * '' Atavocricetodon paaliense'' * '' Baluchimys barryi'', ''B. chaudryi'', ''B. ganeshapher'' * '' Brachypotherium fatehjangense'' * '' Bugtilemur mathesoni'' * '' Bugtimeryx pilgrimi'' * '' Bugtimys zafarullahi'' * '' Bugtipithecus inexpectans'' * '' Bugtitherium grandincisivum'' * '' Buzdartherium gulkirao'' * '' Downsimys margolesi'', '' D. margolisi'' * '' Fallomus ginsburgi'', ''F. quraishyi'', ''F. razae'' * '' Guangxilemur singsilai'' * '' Hodsahibia azrae'', ''H. beamshaiensis'', ''H. gracilis'' * '' Lindsaya derabugtiensis'' * '' Lophibaluchia pilbeami'' * '' Lophiomeryx kargilensis'' * '' Microbunodon silistrense'' * ''

Nalameryx savagei ''Nalameryx'' is an extinct genus of tragulid which existed in lower Chitarwata Formation, Pakistan during the middle Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million ...

'', ''N. sulaimani'' * '' Paalitherium gurki'' * '' Parabrachyodus hyopotamoides'' * ''

Paraceratherium bugtiense ''Paraceratherium'' is an extinct genus of hornless rhinoceros. It is one of the largest terrestrial mammals that has existed and lived from the early to late Oligocene epoch (34–23 million years ago). The first fossils were discovered ...

'' * '' Paraentelodon sp.'' * '' Phileosimias brahuiorum'', ''P. kamali'' * '' Primus cheemai'' * '' Prokanisamys arifi'' * '' Progiraffa exigua'' * '' Pseudocricetodon nawabi'' * '' Sivameryx palaeindicus'' * '' Spanocricetodon sulaiman'' * '' Zindapiria quadricollis'' * ''

Deinotherium ''Deinotherium'' was a large elephant-like proboscidean that appeared in the Middle Miocene and survived until the Early Pleistocene. Although superficially resembling modern elephants, they had notably more flexible necks, limbs adapted to a mo ...

sp.'' ;Reptiles * '' Astorgosuchus bugtiensis'' ;Fish * '' Carcharhinus balochenisis'', '' C. perseus'' * '' Cretolamna twiggensis'' * '' Hemiprisris heteropleurus'' * '' Nebrius obliquum''

References

External links

Palaeontologia Electronica
{{Protected areas of Pakistan Geologic formations of Pakistan Neogene System of Asia Paleogene System of Asia Rupelian Stage Chattian Stage Aquitanian (stage) Burdigalian Sandstone formations Shale formations Fluvial deposits Fossiliferous stratigraphic units of Asia Paleontology in Pakistan Formations

Fossil content

Mammals

References

Further reading

External links