Reservoir rocks in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the reservoir rocks for oil and gas and condensate are both, sandstone and carbonates, And
their age range is from Cambrian clastics to Miocene clastics.
I will describe the reservoirs from oldest the youngest reservoirs.
The Potwar thrust belt has been known for oil production since 1915 when Khaur field was discovered in
district Attock about 100 miles south of Rawalpindi.
The oldest reservoir for oil, gas and condensate is Khewra formations sandstone of Early Cambrian age
in Adhi field near Gujar Khan district Rawalpindi in Potwar Basin. Missa Kiswal and Rajian field are also
producing oil from Khewra sandstone; both located not far away from Adhi field.
The porous facies in Khewra is oil and gas bearing located in the Upper part of the Khewra and known as
Upper Khewra whereas Lower part is non reservoir and composed of mainly shale.
Khewra SS is also known as Purple sandstone in older literature due to its prominent color in the
exposed sections. The thickness is about 150 to 200m in the exposed sections.
There have been reported oil indications and shows in few other fields and wells from sandstone of
Kussak Formation and carbonates of Juttana Formation but not in enough quantity to flow.
Early Permian Tobra Formation which is considered as clastics deposits from the glacier detritus have
also been reservoir in Adhi field. I am not aware that if these rocks have been found oil bearing in any
other field but it has potential to be reservoir rock due to its lithological characterization.
Late Permain carbonates of Wargal Formation is the reservoir in Dhurnal field. This reservoir is natural
fractured. Dhurnal field is also located in Potwar Basin near Khaur field.
Jurassic reservoirs are composed of both, carbonates and sandstone. The first Jurassic reservoir in
Pakistan was discovered in Dhulian oilfield when well 39 flowed oil from sandstone of Datta Formation
(early Jurassic age). The discovery of Jurassics in Dhulian has been a significant milestone in the
exploration history of Pakistan. Oil was also found in Datta Formation in Meyal field in 1970s and in
Toot field. (both in Potwar basin).
Middle Jurassic carbonates of Chiltan Formation have also been found gas bearing in Middle Indus basin
but not too many fields with this reservoir.
Early Cretaceous sandstone of Goru Formation is widely explored and by far the one of the most
successful reservoir in the Middle Indus, where it has gas, and in the Lower Indus Rift Basin where it

mostly has oil. The reservoir part of the Goru Formation is known as Lower Goru Formation.
Lower Goru Formation is divided into three main zones, Upper sands, Middle Sands and Basal sands
whereas in the Badin rift Basin, the Upper sands are further subdivided into A, B, C and D sands ( A is the
youngest) Upper sands and Basal sands are oil bearing in more than 50 fields in the Badin area in the
districts Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Badin and Sanghar in Sindh Province. (Khaskheli, matli, Tando Adam,
Sono, Bobby, Ghotana, Golarchi, Turk, Laghari, Duphri, Kato, Lashari, Bhatti fields, etc)
Near Khairpur, Ghotki and Sukkur area in the Upper Sindh, Lower Goru Formation has gas in Miano,
Kadanwari and Sawan fields.
The Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation sandstone is established reservoir in Dhodak field (Dera Ghazi
Khan, Punjab) Bhit field (Kirthar Range, District Dadu, Sindh) and Zamzama field (Dadu Sindh).
The Paleocene reservoirs in Potwar area are limestone of Lockhart Formation in Dhulian, Pindori,
Ratana, Meyal and Dhurnal fields. The reservoirs are naturally fractured otherwise rock is very hard,
dense and without primary porosity. Relatively minor volumes have been tested from Early Paleocene
sandstone of Hangu Formation (Dhak pass Formation) in Pariwali field.
I can quickly estimate that about 40 to 50 percent of Potwar Basin Oil has been flowed from Paleocene
carbonates from 1941 to date and the approximate produced volumes are near about 60 to 85 million
barrels.
The sandstone of Ranikot Formation of Paleocene age is found to be gas reservoir in Dhodak (Kirthar
range) and Sari-Hundi field in Kirthar range in the Dadu district.
Eocene age Sui main Limestone (SML) is the largest reservoir so far in Pakistan in Sui gas field which was
discovered in 1952. This field has more than 10 TCF recoverable gas. The SML is the major reservoir
many relatively smaller gas fields in the Sui area such as Zin and Uch fields, both in Mari Bugti High, in
Balochistan province.
The carbonates of Chorgali-Sakesar Formation of Eocene age are the biggest reservoir in Potwar Basin.
The major fields where Eocene fractured carbonates are reservoirs, Dhulian, Meyal, Pindori, Pariwali,
Dhurnal, Dakhni, Balkassar, Chak naurang, Adhi, Bhangali and Fim Kasser.
The youngest reservoir in Pakistan is Miocene age sandstone of Murree Formation in Khaur field. Minor
oil from Dhulian and Dhurnal have also been found.
So far no oil is reported to be found in any sequences younger than Miocene in Pakistan.
So far the SML is the largest gas bearing reservoir in the entire Pakistan followed by sandstone of Pab
and Ranikot formations.

The largest volume of oil flowed from Lower Goru sandstone and Chorgali-Sakesar carbonates followed
by Paloecene, Jurassic (sandstone) and Cambrian sandstone.