0000mN

510000mE

385

55

55 56

3870000mN

590000mE

KABUL

Band-i-Naghlu

B

A'

B'

A

VERTICAL = HORIZONTAL SCALE 

0

0

3

5

6 MILES

10 KILOMETERS

SEA LEVEL

1,000

-5,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

METERS

METERS

SEA LEVEL

1,000

-5,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

SEA LEVEL

1,000

-5000

2,000

3,000

4,000

METERS

METERS

SEA LEVEL

1,000

-5,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Bend in section

Bend in section

A

B B'

A'

Bend in section

Tagab fault

branches to southwest

and is within Kotagai

melange here

Kotagai terrane tectonically

beneath gneiss in Kabul River gorge. 

It may underlie all of Kabul area.

Major upper crustal suture

known as Sorubi fault

between Nuristan and Kabul

terranes here

Highly deformed Khengil series

forms leading edge of upper plate

of major low-angle tectonic contact

between Kotagai terrane and overlying Sherdarwaza series

Major upper crustal suture

known as Tagab fault

between Nuristan and Kabul

terranes

Various lithologies making up Kotagai melange

belt. This terrane is internally deformed

and at various metamorphic grades

Neogene rocks, represented by the Lataband series, 

cover large parts of mapped area.

Lataband is clastic, and can be as thick as 1 km.

Locally derived in some mountainous regions,

but not in southern part of map where it

contains river cobbles derived from

the Argandab area to the southwest of the Chaman fault.

Various lithologies making up Kotagai melange

belt. This terrane is internally deformed

and at various metamorphic grades

Kotagai terrane tectonically overlies

Jurassic Khengil series and metamorphic

basement here - suggesting that it is partly

obducted onto continental lithosphere

Peridotite nappes have been obducted at

several places and they tectonically overlie

Kotagai melange

Triassic clastic? section

mostly intruded by Cretaceous

granitoid plutons

Triassic clastic? section

mostly intruded by Cretaceous

granitoid plutons

 Khengil series consists of platform carbonate rocks

that overlie continental basement.

The Khengil was deposited in warm water during

Lopingian to Jurassic times

Paghman terrane

consists of Proterozoic gneiss that is intruded by

various younger plutons of granodiorite and other

more felsic granitoid rocks.

Terrane includes

Carboniferous to Jurassic sedimentary rocks

Northern extent of Chaman fault,

locally called Paghman fault.

Major suture between

Paghman terrane and

those of the Kabul

area to east

Northern extent of

Chaman fault, locally

called Paghman fault.

Major suture between

Paghman terrane and

those of the Kabul

area to east

 Marble, quartzite, and small intrusive bodies

west of Kabul are akin to similar rocks

in Argandab area southwest of quadrangle.

These rocks are not found elsewhere in Sherdarwaza or

Paghman terranes and may have been emplaced

northward by strike-slip faulting

Panjshir Rud

Kabul Rud

Band-i-Naghlu 

Gneiss and schist of the Sherdarwaza terrane.

One zircon date (2382.7 ± 17.07 Ma) within a few km of the

south border of the quadrangle

is sole evidence that this terrane might

be Paleoproterozoic in age

Gneiss and schist of the Sherdarwaza terrane.

One zircon date (2382.7 ± 17.07 Ma) within a few km of the

south border of the quadrangle

is sole evidence this terrane might

be Paleoproterozoic in age

At upper levels of crust

Nuristan terrane is mostly

Paleoproterozoic?

gneisses of various types

intruded by Cretaceous

granitoid plutons

At upper levels of crust

Nuristan terrane is mostly

Paleoproterozoic?

gneisses of various types

intruded by Cretaceous

granitoid plutons

At depth the Nuristan terrane

may feature imbricate thrusts related

to Himalayan collision

Details are not known

At depth the Nuristan terrane

may feature imbricate thrusts related

to Himalayan collision.

Details are not known

Cretaceous

granitoid plutons

Panjshir Rud

Walayati series—Neoproterozoic metasedimentary section 

exposed all along major suture known as Tagab fault. Since 

these rocks rocks may not occur at depth here, they are not 

uplifted, but have been dragged laterally along suture from 

north indicating strong right-slip component of displacement

Khengil series consists of platform carbonate rocks 

that overlie continental basement. The Khengil was 

deposited in warm water during Lopingian to 

Jurassic times

SIMPLIFIED GEOLOGIC CROSS-SECTIONS

FAULT

PAGHMAN

TAGAB

FAULT

SORUBI

FAULT

Fisher, 1971

Mennessier, 1973

69°00’ 70°00’

35°00’

34°30’

Figure 2. Published geologic maps in the Kabul 

North quadrangle area. Blue shows complete 

coverage of Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977), 

reprinted by Doebrich and Wahl (2007), and 

Bohannon and Turner (2006).

Figure 1. Coverage of aerial photography 

(transparent orange) relative to quadrangle 

boundary. DigitalGlobe images, solid green; 

ASTER, bright green outline; and AVNIR, blue 

outline. Landsat and HyMap covered entire 

quadrangle.

69°00’ 70°00’

34°30’

35°00’

EXPLANATION

Contact

Fault—Dashed where inferred; dotted where concealed 

Tectonic contact in melange—Location uncertain

Anticline

Syncline

Overturned syncline

Dike, leucocratic—Light colored, plagioclase-rich or pegmatitic

Dike, mafic—Dark colored, mostly amphibolite

Strike and dip of bedding—Showing amount and direction of dip

Strike of vertical beds

Strike and dip of overturned bedding—Showing amount and direction of dip

Strike and dip of inclined metamorphic layers—Showing amount and direction of 

dip

Strike of vertical metamorphic layers

Strike and dip of inclined layers in igneous rocks—Showing amount and direction 

of dip

Water—Solid fill where perennial; dotted where intermittent

Shoreline

Paleoshoreline—Several levels of very local terraces in fine-grained Lataband series 

rocks (Nlfw) in southwest corner of map 

20

85

35

20

SUPPORT AND DATA SOURCES

This map was produced under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development 

(USAID). Base topography was derived from multiple sources (see sheet 2). The imagery was 

flown in summer and fall of 2006 in a cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and 

U.S. Naval Research Laboratories that was funded by the Afghanistan Ministry of Mines as part of 

a broader geophysical survey of the country. 

The geology is primarily interpreted from images, all of which were geo-registered to the 

UTM map projection and orthorectified to the topography. Landsat imagery provided the primary 

means of differentiating most rock bodies. The Landsat imagery was pan-sharpened to 14.28-m 

resolution, displayed in false-color using bands 7–3–1 (RGB), and covered the entire quadrangle in 

cloud-and snow-free scenes. The 7–3–1-false-color image provided good lithologic discrimination, 

although the colors produced are not necessarily calibrated to any established lithologic standards. 

Most of the quadrangle was also covered by the DigitalGlobe visible-spectrum images, and large 

parts by the overlapping scenes of color aerial photography (fig. 1). The high-resolution coverage is 

thorough, but some images in the highest terrain had cloud and snow cover. The high-resolution 

images provided the best locational control for the edges of rock bodies identified using Landsat 

and many additional geologic features, not resolved by Landsat, could also be identified and 

located. Horizontal locational accuracy falls well within the 50-m U.S. Government standard for 

1:100,000-scale maps and, where ground-truthed, mapped features were found to correspond 

reliably with Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of the same feature.

Even with the highest quality images, lithologic identifications can be dubious. Published 

geologic studies, although rare, are available in the area and they helped guide the mapping. The 

countrywide geologic map of Afghanistan (Abdullah and Chmyriov, 1977), re-released by 

Doebrich and Wahl (2006), was intended for use at 1:850,000-scale and was too general to use as 

anything but a rough guide. Mapping by Bohannon and Turner (2007) gave a rough outline of the 

geologic units present in each area. A detailed stratigraphic study of the southern part of the 

Koh-i-Sofe was conducted by Fisher (1971) and included a map (fig. 2). The work of Bohannon 

and Turner, and Fisher, on the Khengil series proved invaluable. Mennessier (1973) mapped an area 

in the southeast part of the quadrangle (fig. 2) and he wrote about the age and regional relations in 

some of the melange and ultramafic units there and to the south (Mennessier, 1976).

A limited amount of field work was conducted within the quadrangle, but the potential dangers 

presented by political instability restricted its scope, duration, and utility. 

1

1

0

0

KILOMETERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2 0

MILES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

1000

5000

0

0

 5000 10 000 15 000 20 000 METERS

10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 70 000 FEET

SCALE 1:100 000

1 CENTIMETER ON THE MAP REPRESENTS 1 KILOMETER ON THE GROUND

CONTOUR INTERVAL 50 METERS

Qha

Qhm

Qas

Qcr

Qra

Qa3

Ql

Nlfl

Nlc

Qoa

Nlcp

Qa1

Qa2

Qdl

Nlfr

Nlfg

Nlfw

Qls

Qd

Kilgn

Kit

Kigr

Kkals

Jkb

Kia

Kigd

Kiegn

Kip

Jkn

Zwlm

Zwd

Zwss

Yil

Yigd

Xpgn

Xpgga

Xnl

Xngn

Zws

Zwu

Xpagn

Zwq

Xns

Xngo

Xngg

Xnlgn

Xngl

Xsia

Xsgd

Xss

Xsm

Xsp

Xnm

Xsgn

Xsa

Xsu

Xsgna

Jku

Pkl

Pkc

Zwp

PCssl

DESCRIPTION OF MAP UNITS

[Chromatic variations that appear on the images are used as a descriptive characteristic of different rock bodies 

throughout this report. Described chromatic variations are coded to the image source. Landsat colors are coded 

with an ‘L’ and include a numeric designation such as 731 that represents the RGB-band-order. The L–731 

designation is followed by the apparent color (for example, L–731-blue-green)]

SEDIMENTARY DEPOSITS

Man-made fill (Holocene)—Areas near Bagram Air Field where thick artificial fill 

obscures underlying natural surficial deposits

Agricultural and urban land (Holocene)—Areas in northern Shomali plains where 

density of human alteration of land precludes determination of natural surficial 

character

Young alluvium (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Alluvium in young, active channel 

bottoms

River alluvium (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Flood plain deposits primarily along 

Panjshir and Kabul Rivers

Colluvium and rock falls (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Young deposits on slopes 

that formed by erosion and transport of material derived from upslope outcrops 

or by weathering in place of underlying rocks

Alluvial sheet deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Widespread slope deposits 

forming thin sheets; derived from upslope outcrops

Lakebed deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Silt and clay deposited on the beds 

of intermittent lakes

Dunes (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Localized deposits with conspicuous dune 

morphology southeast of Bagram Air Field near foot of Koh-i-Sofe

Desert Loess (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Widespread deposits of fine-grained 

white silt and clay, settled during windstorms. Present on many steep slopes as 

well as flat areas

Landslide deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Massive tear-shaped deposits on 

steep slopes formed along east side of the Tagab fault

Intermediate alluvium (Pleistocene)—Alluvial deposits in channel bottoms and 

covering widespread parts of larger valleys; generally form slightly dissected 

deposits that are a meter or two higher than adjacent river alluvium (Qra) or 

young alluvium (Qa3)

Early alluvium (Pleistocene)—Dissected alluvial deposits high on channel edges and 

preserved as isolated bodies on ridges

Old alluvial fan deposits (Pleistocene)—Highly dissected alluvial deposits that now 

form hill tops and ridges. Generally unconformable on Neogene units

Lataband series

Conglomerate (Pliocene and Miocene)—Widespread conglomerate, as thick as 1 

km in places. Clast size diminishes from west to east in southern part of map; 

clasts of quartzite and dolomite derived from southwest of the Chaman Fault are 

common

White silt and sand (Pliocene and Miocene)—Widespread fine-grained deposits 

of silt, sand, and clay with distinct white coloration. Probably wind-blown 

material

Peridotite conglomerate (Pliocene)—Dissected fan deposits forming ridges 

surrounding main peridotite (^Pug) body in Koh-i-Sofe. Distinct olive-drab 

color on Landsat 731 images indicates local source in ultramafic body

Calcrete (Pliocene)—Thin white carbonate soil cap overlying dissected 

fine-grained white Lataband unit (Nlfw) in southwest part of map

Gray silt and sand (Miocene)—Gray-to-brown-gray, fine-grained deposits in 

northern part of map

Red silt and sand (Miocene)—Red-colored, sandy deposits in southeastern corner 

of map

Conglomerate (Oligocene or Eocene)—Brown-to-buff conglomerate overlying 

Kotagai melange. Now in faulted and fragmented outcrops; no internal deformation

Paghman series

Limestone and dolomite (Middle and Early Triassic)—Limestone, dolomite, and 

marl

Sandstone and siltstone (Cisuralian and Carboniferous)—Sandstone and siltstone 

more abundant than slate; possible andesite to basalt volcanic rocks

Khengil series (Kabul massif)

Khengil series (Lopingian to Jurassic)—Thick section of well-preserved carbonate 

platform rocks that was measured in detail and described by Fisher (1971) whose 

descriptions are abstracted here. Exposed mostly in Koh-i-Sofe

Belemnite unit (Malm and Dogger)—Chiefly thick-bedded limestone that 

includes oolitic layers and conspicuous belemnite fossils. Appears as unbedded 

unit on high-resolution images and as green-blue-gray on Landsat 731 image

Nerineen unit (Dogger and Lias)—Chiefly limestone with fine bedding. 

Ammonite-bearing; appears as fine-bedded unit on high resolution images and as 

blue-gray unit on Landsat 731 image

Undifferentiated units (Jurassic)—Areas where it was not possible to subdivide 

the belemnite and nerineen units

Limestone, dolomite and tuff (Upper and Middle Triassic)—Uniform, dense, 

gray well-bedded limestone and dolomite that have discontinuous tuff layers in 

upper third of section. A thin layer that bears megalodon teeth is included at top 

of unit, since it could not be mapped separately on a consistent basis. Known 

from multi-spectral (HyMap) images to be an area of strong spectral reflectance 

that is characteristic of a mix of calcite and dolomite. Appears as a distinct light 

blue unit on Landsat 731 image and is highly stratified on high resolution 

images

Ceratiten unit (Lower Triassic)—Thin recessive limestone unit that bears 

Ceratiten nautilus fossils. Evident on high resolution images because of its 

recessive nature

Reef limestone unit (Lopingian and Guadalupian)—Reef limestone that bears 

productid and fusulinid fossils. Appears as greenish-blue-gray unit on Landsat 

731 image

Conglomerate and sandstone unit (Guadalupian)—Thin, discontinuous 

light-colored unit of conglomerate and sandstone at base of section

Nuristan series

Siltstone and sandstone (Norian and Rhaetian)—Thick section of siltstone and 

sandstone that appears as a distinct deep L–731-blue-green on Landsat 731 

image in central Nuristan belt

Sandstone (Norian and Rhaetian)—Thin sandstone layers within unit ^nrss; 

appear as distinct light blue layers on Landsat 731 image. In central Nuristan belt

METAMORPHIC ROCKS

Kotagai melange (mostly Cretaceous, possibly as old as late Paleozoic and as 

young as Paleocene)—Mostly schistose rocks of various types in tectonic 

contact with one another. Highly disorganized. Various units differentiated 

primarily by distinct color differences on Landsat 731 image. They are referred 

to by those colors, but in several cases at least one field observation or a 

description in the literature provided a clue as to actual lithologic differences

Pale-green unit—Lithology not known, distinctly different from surrounding units 

and possibly less deformed

White unit—Lithology not known, but likely corresponds to the white radiolarian 

cherts described by Mennessier (1976)

Epidote-bearing unit—Probably basaltic schist; known from multi-spectral (HyMap) 

images to be an area of strong spectral reflectance that is characteristic of 

epidote. Consistent L–731-purple appearance

Red and blue unit—Pelitic schist and carbonate rock mix (?)

Dark blue unit—Widespread west of Tagab fault and in Kabul gorge. In Kabul 

gorge, unit is primarily dark colored pelitic schist that may have a significant 

basaltic or basaltic-andesitic component

Blue unit—Lithology not known, but possibly contains a carbonate component

Green unit—Serpentenized basalt schist underlies main body of peridotite (^Pug)

Red unit—Chiefly pelitic schist with strong internal deformation; intersecting 

cleavages produce distinct rodding in outcrop

Limestone of Ali-Pa-Bel (Cretaceous)—Limestone, highly disrupted with strong 

internal deformation. Commonly occurs as large olistostromes associated with 

Kotagai melange units. Several olistostrome masses occur in Kabul gorge area. 

Mennessier (1976) described Campanian and Santonian microfossils from one 

such outcrop

Marble(?) (Paleozoic, undifferentiated)—Distinct blue-purple color on the 

Landsat 731 image suggests this is marble. Unlike anything else in Kabul 

region. Similar looking rocks occur to the southwest of the quadrangle to the 

west of the Chaman fault

Quartzite(?) (Paleozoic, undifferentiated)—Pale tan interbeds within the marble 

unit (|um)

Schist(?) (Paleozoic, undifferentiated)—Deep red color on Landsat 731 image 

suggests this rock is biotite schist

Walayati series

Walayati series (Neoproterozoic)—Largely unstudied in this area. Abdullah and 

Chmyriov (1977) listed marble, quartzite, meta-sandstone, and mica schist as 

possible lithologies. Layering that defines several distinct units is evident in 

many places on most of the images, especially in the outcrops west of the Tagab 

fault. These layers are listed from top to bottom. Undifferentiated Walayati 

(Zwu) appears at many places on the map

Schist(?)—Mostly brick-red on Landsat 731 image

Quartzite(?)—Distinct white unit on Landsat 731 image

Limestone and marble—Distinct light blue color on Landsat 731 image

Phyllite and metavolcanic rocks(?)—L–731-deep-brown with discontinuous 

L–731-bluish masses on Landsat 731 image

Dolomite(?)—L–731-pale-blue-and-light-brown on Landsat 731 image. Variable 

over many parts of map; distinct dolomite signature on HyMap images

Sandstone(?)—L–731-pale-brown-to-pale-green color on Landsat 731 image

Undifferentiated—L–731-pale-brown on Landsat 731 image

Paghman series

Metamorphic rocks of Paghman series (Paleoproterozoic) — Mostly biotite gneiss 

and amphibolitic gneiss with altered counterparts.

Biotite gneiss—L–731-light purple on Landsat 731 image

Amphibolitic gneiss—L–731-medium purple on Landsat 731 image, uniform dark 

gray on high-resolution images

Altered granitic gneiss(?)—Multi-colored on Landsat 731 image

Nuristan series

Metamorphic rocks of Nuristan series (Paleoproterozoic)—Gneiss, layered gneiss, 

leucocratic granitic gneiss, and marble; minor amounts of schist and quartzite 

also present

Banded biotite gneiss—L–731-medium-brown on Landsat 731 image

Layered gneiss—L–731-pale-brown on Landsat 731 image, distinct large-scale 

layers on high-resolution images and in outcrop; probably metasedimentary

Leucocratic gneissic granite—L–731-tan-to-dark-red-brown on Landsat 731 

image. Distinct light layers and dikes on high-resolution images

Schist—L–731-gray-brown on Landsat 731 image 

Limestone—Light-brown on high-resolution images. Calcite on HyMap

Marble—Dark blue-gray on Landsat 731 image 

Orange gneiss—Large body of gneiss in northern part of map that has a slight 

orangish hue on high-resolution images

Olive-green gneiss—Small bodies in central Nuristan that are distinct olive-drab 

color on high-resolution images

Sherdarwaza series

Sherdarwaza series (Paleoproterozoic)—Schist, gneiss and migmatite, amphibolite, 

minor amounts of marble, quartzite, and pegmatite. Mesoproterozoic on 

Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977), but ages on zircon from gneiss and schist near 

Kabul River (Kabul Rud) east of Kabul (2,378 Ma) and a few kilometers south of 

the quadrangle boundary (2,383 Ma) suggests a probable Paleoproterozoic age

Gneiss and migmatite—Biotite gneiss and migmatite, highly contorted and 

irregular biotite-rich and plagioclase-rich layers. Red to light orange color on 

Landsat 731 image

Weathered gneiss—Same gneiss as unit Xsgn, but highly weathered owing to 

exposure near erosion surface beneath Neogene sedimentary units

Schist—Biotite schist. Highly contorted and irregular biotite-rich and plagioclaserich layers. L–731-red-to-light-orange on Landsat 731 image

Marble and quartzite—Thin layers of marble that appear L–731-blue on Landsat 

731 image

Amphibolite—Amphibolite, dark colored on Landsat 731 image

Pegmatite—L–731-light-tan on 731 image

Undifferentiated units—L–731-brown on 731 image

IGNEOUS ROCKS

Mafic volcanic and intrusive rocks (Paleocene and Cretaceous)—Very small, 

dark-colored dikes, sills, or flows associated with epidote-bearing unit of Kotagai 

melange ($Kkse).

Small intrusions in Triassic rocks (Cretaceous)—Small complex L–731-reddish 

intrusive bodies within Triassic sedimentary rocks (^nrss)

Granitoid intrusive rocks (Cretaceous)—Light-colored intrusive bodies that lack 

any evident internal fabric. Form large intrusive bodies within belt of Triassic 

rocks in central Nuristan and several smaller plutons that invaded gneiss in 

southeastern part of quadrangle

Dense pegmatites (Cretaceous)—Large intrusive bodies that are light in color and 

exhibit dense dikes or leucocratic layers. Probably related to unit Kigr

Leucocratic granite gneiss (Cretaceous)—Granitic intrusive bodies in central 

Nuristan that have well-developed megascopic internal fabric or layering

Areas of intrusive alteration in older gneiss (Cretaceous)—Numerous small 

intrusions invading Proterozoic gneiss and Paleozoic rocks in the northern part of 

the Paghman terrane in northwest corner of map. Appear as complex multicolored areas on Landsat 731 image

Granodiorite (Cretaceous)—Small part of a much larger intrusive body exposed 

along west-central map boundary. Mapped by Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977)

Epidote-bearing granitic gneiss (Cretaceous) — Probably metasedimentary gneiss, 

of roughly granitic composition. Identified from multi-spectral (HyMap) image 

in areas with strong spectral reflectance characteristic of epidote

Ultramafic rocks in the Kotagai melange

Peridotite, olive green (Triassic or Permian)—Massive peridotite, orange brown in 

outcrop. Distinct L–731-olive-green appearance Landsat 731 image. Tapponnier 

and others (1981) thought most of the peridotite of the Kabul region formed as 

oceanic lithosphere during the Permian or Triassic in the Tethyan ocean

Ultramafic(?) rocks, purple (Triassic or Permian) — Rocks labelled as ultramafic by 

Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977), but appear as L–731-purple-red masses on the 

Landsat 731 image

Unknown ultramafic rock (Triassic or Permian)—Labelled as ultramafic masses by 

Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977), but are L–731-pale-brown on the Landsat 731 

image. Might be dunite

Mafic epidote-bearing rock (Triassic or Permian)—Labelled as ultramafic masses 

by Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977), but have strong signature of epidote on HyMap 

multi-spectral images. Also show well-developed layering

Layered intrusive rocks (Mesoproterozoic?)—Dark-colored layered intrusive 

bodies intruded into Sherdarwaza gneiss and schist. Possibly gabbro

Granodiorite (Mesoproterozoic?)—Dark-colored intrusive bodies within leucocratic 

granite gneiss of Nuristan

Sherdarwaza series

Sherdarwaza series (Paleoproterozoic)—Mafic and intermediate intrusive rocks. 

Mesoproterozoic on Abdullah and Chmyriov (1977), but ages on zircon from 

related gneiss and schist near Kabul River (Kabul Rud) east of Kabul (2,378 Ma) 

and a few kilometers south of the quadrangle boundary (2,383 Ma) suggests a 

probable Paleoproterozoic age for the entire series

Anorthosite or gabbro—Coarse-grained plagioclase-rich intrusive rock. Black on 

Landsat 731 image

Granodiorite—Intrusive rock. Red to light orange color on Landsat 731 image

Qa1

Qa2

Qa3 Qra

Qhm

Qls

Qha

Qcr Qas

Qd

Ql

Qoa

Jkn

Jkb

Pkl

Pkc

PCssl

Zwd Zwu

Yil Yigd

Zws Zwq Zwlm Zwp Zwss

Xpgn Xpagn Xpgga Xngn Xngl Xnlgn Xns Xnl Xnm Xngo Xngg Xsia Xsgd

Xsgn Xsgna Xss Xsm Xsa Xsp Xsu

Kkals Kit Kigr Kip Kilgn Kia Kigd Kiegn

Qdl

Nlcp Nlfl

Nlc Nlfw

Jku

Nlfg Nlfr

CORRELATION OF MAP UNITS

PALEOGENE

CRETACEOUS

CARBONIFEROUS

JURASSIC

TRIASSIC

PERMIAN

NEOPROTEROZOIC

MESOPROTEROZOIC

PALEOPROTEROZOIC

NEOGENE

Holocene QUATERNARY

Pleistocene

Pliocene

Miocene

Oligocene

Eocene and Paleocene

Kotagai melange

Khengil series

(Kabul massif) Paghman

series

Nuristan

series

SEDIMENTARY DEPOSITS METAMORPHIC ROCKS IGNEOUS ROCKS

Walayati series

Paghman series Nuristan series

Sherdarwaza series

Sherdarwaza series

Lataband series

Kotagai melange

|um |uq |us

Base from multiple data sources, 2007

Settlement names from digital files obtained from Afghanistan Information 

Services (AIMS) website, available at http://www.aims.org.af 

Projection and 10,000-meter grid: Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), 

zone 42 north, World Geodetic System 84 (WGS 84)

Geologic mapping by R.G. Bohannon. Limited 

field work done by R.G. Bohannon in spring 

2004, and fall 2006

Digital database by R.G. Bohannon

THE HEAD OFFICE OF GEODESY AND CARTOGRAPHY

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL SURVE

M

Y

INISTRY OF MINES AND INDUSTRIES

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Prepared in cooperation with the

AFGHANISTAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY and the

AFGHAN GEODESY AND CARTOGRAPHY HEAD OFFICE

under the auspices of the

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS MAP 3120

SHEET 1 OF 2

Version 1.0

Pamphlet accompanies map

U.S. Geological Survey Afghanistan Project Product no. 188

For more information concerning this publication, contact:

Team Chief Scientist,

USGS Geology and Environmental Change Science Center

Box 25046, Mail Stop 980

Denver, CO 80225

(303)236-5344

Or visit the Geology and Environmental Change Science

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This report is available at:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3120 

GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE KABUL NORTH 30′ × 60′ QUADRANGLE, AFGHANISTAN

By

Robert G. Bohannon

2010 

Publishing support provided by: 

Denver Publishing Service Center

Manuscript approved for publication March 16, 2010

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes 

only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public 

domain, it also contains copyrighted materials as noted in the text. 

Permission to reproduce copyrighted items for other than personal use

must be secured from the copyright owner. 

Suggested citation:

Bohannon, R.G., 2010, Geologic and topographic maps of the Kabul 

North 30′ × 60′ quadrangle, Afghanistan: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Map 3120, 34 p. pamphlet, 2 map sheets, 

scale 1: 100,000.

64°E

62°E

60°E

66°E 68°E

70°E 72°E

34°N

74°E 76°E

32°N

30°N

36°N

38°N

LOCATION OF KABUL NORTH QUADRANGLE

AFGHANISTAN

510 509

509

3468

3468

Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head office 1:250,000-scale quadrangle

U.S. Geological Survey/Afghanistan Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale quadrangle 

Related maps: USGS Open-File Report 2005–1107–A (Bohannon and Turner, 2007)

CONVERSION TABLE

Meters Feet

DECLINATION DIAGRAM ADJOINING MAPS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

3.208

6.5617

9.8425

13.1234

16.4042

19.6850

22.9659

26.2467

29.5276

32.8084

To convert meters to feet 

multiply by 3.2808

To convert feet to meters 

multiply by 0.3048

2°39 ́

2007 magnetic declination

(MN) at center of map

Changing by 0°1 ́ per year

Diagram is approximate

MN

1

1 Pulkhumri South

2 Charaikar South

3 Tagab-Munjan South

4 Chak-e-Wardak North

5 Jalal-Abad North

6 Chak-e-Wardak South

7 Kabul South

8 Jalal-Abad South

2 3

4 5

6 7 8

47.17 MILS

65

40

60

60

45

25

50

75

35 40

50

35

70

35

40

45

70 55

40

30

35

40

35

30

40

40

40

55 45

50

25 15

50

75

30

40

25

50

40

30

50

35

20

30

20

50

55

30

80 85

40

50

85

25

50

25

60 45

45

15

25

60

25

15

30

15

55

40

40

40

40

50 40

25

30

50

30

40

40

50

30

80

30

35

75

80

20 65

35

30

45

55

40

55

50

60

70

40

25

55

20

40

30

30

35

40

30 35

60

70

50

40

60

75

60 25

45

40 35

20

70

70

45

60

40

45

40

30

45

55

30

50

30

60

20

35

55

25

25

25

30 85

40

35

45

30

35

25

65

35

45

35

45

45

55

40

50

30

35 50

30

35

55