Stratigraphic Studies Of the Nowshera Reef Complex, Nowshera ...
Stratigraphic Studies Of the Nowshera Reef Complex, Nowshera ...
Stratigraphic Studies Of the Nowshera Reef Complex, Nowshera ...
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35growth of encrusting organisms like stromatoporoids andinterlocking tabulatecorals. This marine environment contined until <strong>the</strong> deposition of <strong>the</strong> Misri BandaQuartzite.Apart from local faulting and folding, <strong>the</strong> succession is undisturbed, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Nowshera</strong>Formation, followed conformably by <strong>the</strong> Misri Banda Quartzite, lyingunconformably on <strong>the</strong> Kandar Phyllite Formation.?PRE-SILURIANKANDAR PHYLLITEThe Kandar Phyllites are <strong>the</strong> oldest unit in <strong>the</strong> sequence of deposition and wereso called after <strong>the</strong> village of this name. The Phyllites are well developed to <strong>the</strong> southof Kandar village on both sides of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Nowshera</strong> - Risalpur road. The only o<strong>the</strong>rlocality where <strong>the</strong>se phyllites are exposed is to <strong>the</strong> northwest of Misri Banda village.The colour of <strong>the</strong> phyllites on fresh surfaces is greenish-grey, while on <strong>the</strong>wea<strong>the</strong>red surfaces it is yellowish-grey. In both localities, <strong>the</strong> phyllites are interbeddedwith limestone beds ranging in thickness from a few inches to 3 feet. In <strong>the</strong>Kandar village area, two limestone beds of more than 10 feet in thickness are interbeddedwith <strong>the</strong> phyllites. The limestones are fossiliferous and abundant crinoidcolumns occur in <strong>the</strong>m.limestone'.It is for this reason that <strong>the</strong> limestone is named 'CrinoidalIn Misri Banda, nautiloid cones were found in this limestone.The base of <strong>the</strong> phyllites in <strong>the</strong> type locality (Kandar village), as well as thoselying exposed in <strong>the</strong> Misri Banda area, are covered with alluvium. Therefore, <strong>the</strong>lower extent of <strong>the</strong> phyllites and <strong>the</strong> nature of <strong>the</strong> underlying rocks cannot be determined.However, <strong>the</strong> exposed thickness of <strong>the</strong> phyllites in <strong>the</strong> type locality is about200 feet, while in <strong>the</strong> Misri Banda area it varies between 500-700feet. The exposureof phyllites towards <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn extremity of Tangai nul1ah (Misri Banda) is about200 feet. Igneous intrusions ofdoleritic composition, as shown in <strong>the</strong> maps (1 and 2),have been noted in both <strong>the</strong> localities.The Kandar Phyllite is unconformaby overlain by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Nowshera</strong> Formation.SILURO-DEVONIAN SYSTEM*NOWSHERA FORMATIONThe stratigraphic name was first given by Teichert and Stauffer (1965) to <strong>the</strong> reefcomplex in <strong>the</strong> main section (western extremity).According to Krumbein and Sloss (1963), a reef complex is <strong>the</strong> product of organiismsthat precipitate, bind or retain carbonate and show a potential of upward growth• Conodont studies by Barnett et at. (1966) indicate an age between uppermost Silurian or lowermostDevonian.