Proceedings of the 12 th Symposium of “Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems (MTE 12), (Zhang, Y., Wu S.Z., Sun G. Eds.), August 15-20, 2015, Paleontological Museum of Liaoning/Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China, 247-249.
Geodiverse and biodiverse heritage of Pakistan demands for protection as national and global Geoparks: an innovation for the sustainable development of Pakistan M. Sadiq Malkani Geological Survey of Pakistan, Sariab Road, Quetta, Pakistan: E. mail,
[email protected] Pakistan is lucky to include Gondwanan, Laurasian and Tethyan blocks, also three major tectonic elements like Convergence of Asian continental plate and Indo-Pakistan continental plate, convergence and subduction of Arabian sea plate in Balochistan basin a part of Tethys, subduction of Tethys in Kohistan, Chaman-Nal Transform fault boundary and major divergent zone located off shore in the sea. Pakistan is also lucky to include vast spatially and temporally Geodiverse and biodiverse heritage demands for protection as national and global Geoparks, which is an innovation for the sustainable development of Pakistan Introduction Pakistan is lucky to include Gondwanan, Laurasian and Tethyan blocks. The Laurasian block is represented in the north of Pakistan as Hindukush-Karakoram belt, then further southward Kohistan-Ladakh magmatic arc and also further south the Indus basin which is a part of Gondwanalands and in the west Balochistan basin which is a part of Tethys and also deposited as flysch accretionary complex and magmatic island arc. All these geodiverse and biodiverse heritage of Pakistan are briefly being reported here. Geodiverse and biodiverse heritage of Pakistan demands for protection as national and global Geoparks: an innovation for the sustainable development of Pakistan Pakistan has wonderfully exposed diverse tectonic elements like convergent collision of IndoPakistan with Asia (continent-continent collision), Chaman-Uthal regional transform fault and active subduction like convergent of Arabian sea plate with Balochistan basin of Tethys sea plate, different types of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, sedimentary rocks with book type many sedimentary and tectonic structures, diverse topography like sea coast in the south, plain areas in the central east, some world class peaks more than 29000 feet above sea level such as K2, Nanga Parbat, Tirich Mir, many mountainous peaks surrounded by pleasant and heaven valleys in the north and west, many localities of Paleozoic to recent flora and invertebrates, Mesozoic and Cenozoic vertebrates, rich mineral, gemstone, petroleum and other natural resources, variable four season (summer, autumn, winter and spring), severe summer in plain while pleasant in mountainous areas, pleasant winter in plain and severe in mountainous areas; many glacier bearing mountains and many rivers like Indus, Jhelum, Zhob, Kech, etc offer unmatched opportunities for research, exploration and development. The Pakistan represents both Gondwanan as well as Laurasian geo-heritage. The Karakoram basin belongs to Laurasian and Tethyan, Balochistan basin to Tethyan, and Indus Basin to Gondwanan fragments. Further Pakistan is now a part of Peninsula but in the past (Jurassic) it was a part of Gondwanalands. Pakistan has well exposed marine as well as terrestrial strata (with different extinction boundaries) deposited on the northwestern slope of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent now known as Khyber-Hazara-Kashmir (uppermost/northernmost Indus), Kohat and Potwar (upper/northern 247
Indus) basin while western slope known as Sulaiman (Middle Indus) and Kirthar (Lower/southern Indus) basins. The Khyber-Hazara-Kashmir basin and Kohat and Potwar basin represent variable marine to continental Precambrian to recent rocks, while the Sulaiman and Kirthar basins show variable marine to terrestrial Triassic to Recent rocks. The flora like algae, pollen, spores and wood fossils from Paleozoic to Cainozoic of Pakistan have been reported. Dinosaurs eat tall conifers (Baradarakht goeswangai), which may be the reason of neck elongation besides the ferns, angiosperms, gymnosperm, etc which may be the origin of Latest Cretaceous Kingri coal of Vitakri Formation. The invertebrates like Protozoa, Foraminifera (started from Cretaceous-Goru Formation like Globigerina, Rotaliapora, Globotruncana, and onward Cainozoic-Nummulites, Alveolina, Assilina, etc), Coelenterata (Anthozoa-corals, sea anemones, stony and horny corals; Hydrozoa-Jellyfish); Stromatoporoidea, Scaphopoda, Bryozoa, Brachiopoda (Productus, fusilinids, etc), Echinodermata (Crinoids, etc), Conodonts, Mollusca, Cephalopoda (Ammonites and belemnites became extinct at Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary while nautiloids survived during extinction), Gastropoda, Pelecypoda/Bivalves and Arthropoda (many insect, etc, Trilobites-Proetus chitralensis-Early Devonian of Chitral-Extinct) have been reported from Pakistan so far. The Pakiring kharzani (the sub ring type bivalve/pelecypod Mollusca) is found from the Cretaceous Tertiary (K-T) boundary laterite/thin rust (3km north of Kharzan town) on the last bed of Pab sandstone in the Kharzan area of Khuzdar district, Balochistan, Pakistan. The Pakiwheel vitakrithe stocky type nautiloids and Pakiwheel karkhi-the slender type nautiloids are found just after the K-T boundary in Sangiali Formation close to east of Vitakri town, Barkhan District and close to Karkh town, Khuzdar District, Balochistan respectively. The Mulastar zahri-a star fish is found from the Late Paleocene-Early Eocene Shaheed Ghat Formation, Kharzan area of Khuzdar district, Balochistan, Pakistan. The vertebrate paleontological evidences reported from Pakistan are fishes, reptiles and mammals so far. India was the only source of information on Mesozoic vertebrates until 2000. Since 2000 Pakistan is appeared first time in the world map (dinosaur wise). Pakistan yielded the taxa of largest land animals like sauropods. About 3000 fossils collected from more than 30 localities in fluvial two red mud horizons alternated by two sandstone horizons of Vitakri Formation include Khetranisaurus barkhani, Sulaimanisaurus gingerichi, and Pakisaurus balochistani of herbivorous Pakisauridae (slender) and Marisaurus jeffi and Balochisaurus malkani of herbivorous Balochisauridae (stocky), Gspsaurus Pakistani, Saraikimasoom Vitakri, Nicksaurus razashahi and Maojandino alami titanosaurian sauropods, large bodied Vitakridrinda sulaimani of abelisaurian, and Vitakrisaurus saraiki of Vitakrisauridae noasaurian theropods, and Sulaimanisuchus kinwai of Sulaimanisuchidae, Pabwehshi pakistanensis and Induszalim bala of Induszalimidae and Khuzdarcroco zahri mesoeucrocodiles, and Saraikisaurus minhui of pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Saraikisauridae, Saraikisaurinae). A herd of more wide gauge titanosaurian sauropods (Malakhelisaurus mianwali) confronted by a running narrow gauge theropod (Samanadrinda surghari), and an isolated tracks of a couple of small theropods (Himalayadrinda potwari) reported from the Middle Jurassic Samanasuk Limestone of Baroch ichno type, Malakhel area, Mianwali District, Punjab, Pakistan. The Sor Muzghai-an ichno type site of less wide gauge titanosaurs (Pashtosaurus zhobi) has been found in the Latest Cretaceous Vitakri Formation from the western extremity of Sulaiman basin and eastern extremity of Western Indus Suture, Zhob district, Balochistan, Pakistan, which is very significant due to 248
common body fossils in same basin and same formation. The possible fishes (Karkhimachli sangiali) found from Paleocene Sangiali group (including marine Sangiali, Rakhi Gaj and Dungan formations). The Quettacyonidae (Bolanicyon Shahani) is found in the Early Eocene Toi Formation of southwestern Mach area. Pakistan yielded the archaeocete like walking whales and their descendants, Basilosauridae-the king of basal whale, and baluchithere-the largest land mammals. The baluchithere reported from the Dera Bugti areas of Sulaiman basin and also recently from Early Eocene Shagala formation of Shagala area (Pakitherium shagalai) of northern Balochistan basin and from Oligocene Chitarwata Formation of Taunsa-Gulki section (Buzdartherium gulkirao-honouring the host buzdar tribe and Rao Ayub-very fond of fossils). The Gulki area is hosted by Buzdar tribe (Taunsa) in north eastern Sulaiman foldbelt. Further a jaw of Asifcroco retrai-an Oligocene crocodile is found from Taunsa-Gulki section of D. G. Khan District. The recent discoveries of Sulaimanitherium dhanotri-Basilosauridae (the king of basal whale) found from the Middle Eocene Drazinda shale of Sulaiman basin (Zamri area, Musakhel district, Balochistan). When baluchithere became extinct, the proboscideans evolved as largest land mammals. The Gomphotherium buzdari-a big proboscidean (Mammalia) remains are recently collected from Miocene Litra Formation of Vihowa group in the. Zinda Pir anticline (trending generally north to south) area, located in the easternmost extremity of Sulaiman fold and thrust belt. Pakistan has a unique blend of Tertiary mammals of Asian affinity like rhinocerotoids and antharacotherids with few proboscideans, carnivores, chalicotheres, deinotheres, bovids, suids, Creodonta, ruminantia, amynodontiae, and crocodilians and Tertiary whales. All these geodiverse and biodiverse heritage of Pakistan demands for protection as national and global Geoparks which is an innovation for the sustainable development of Pakistan
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