| Kala Chitta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 841 m (2,759 ft) |
| Coordinates | 33°43′N72°10′E / 33.717°N 72.167°E /33.717; 72.167 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | کالا چٹا (Punjabi) |
| Geography | |
  Kala Chitta | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Provinces | Punjab andKhyber Pakhtunkhwa |
Kala Chitta Range (in Punjabi andUrdu:کالا چٹاKālā Chiṭṭā) is a mountain range in theAttock District ofPunjab, Pakistan. "Kala" and "Chitta" are Punjabi words, meaning "black" and "white", respectively. The range thrusts eastward across thePotohar plateau towardsRawalpindi.[1][2][3]
Pakistan's Kuldana Formation is best known for its fossilEocene mammals, including primitive cetaceans such asPakicetus,Ambulocetus andAttockicetus. Kuldana mammals have been considered in different studies as coming from the earlyLutetian (early Middle Eocene), lateYpresian (late early Eocene) or, more recently, encompassing much of Ypresian up to early Lutetian time (early part of the early Eocene to early Eocene medium).[4]
The Kuldana Formation is located in the Kala Chita hills and is a thin, 20-120 m thick tongue of low-lying continental red beds that lie within a much thicker sequence of foraminifera-rich marine formations. Shallow planktonic andbenthicforaminifera limit the age of the Kuldana Formation to the late early or early middleEocene, and the current interpretation of global sea level stratigraphy favours the latter.[5]
The short duration of the low-water interval when Kuldana mammals were discovered means that differences between samples likely represent differences in local living environments, deposition sites, and sampling, rather than a substantial difference in age.[5]
The Kohat formation consists of calcareous shale and light grey limestone. It lies on top of the Kuldana formation and intermingles with the Murree formation of theRawalpindi group.[6] Formation in the middle Eocene.[7]
