Khadim’s Quetta

Many people from around Pakistan might have heard about the minor volcanic activity that took place recently in the Ziarat valley on January 29, 2010 (Figs: 1, 6 & 8). According to media reports (here, here and here) only days after an earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale, residents of Charri area of Ziarat District of Balochistan witnessed sounds of explosions followed by smoke billowing from the top of the Tor Ghar – the black mountain – and then on Monday night it started spewing lava. It’s worth mentioning here that Charri area is not far from Waam which had been previously hit by a severe earthquake on October 29, 2008.

Honestly when I heard about the news of a volcanic eruption in Ziarat I was really gobsmacked and thought oh no what’s happening; the news was frightening as well as exciting: frightening in the sense that what consequences ‘an hitherto unknown and potentially angry’ volcano will have on the lives and economy of the local communities as well as on the environment? And exciting in the sense that it was about 70 million years ago when as a result of  a prolonged volcanic activity, deposits of the Bibai Formation were formed, though at that time the part of the crust (the Indian Plate) on which we live today was not where it is today but closer to the Madagascar/Reunion – it has travelled thousands of kilometres from its previous to present location. Undoubtedly, this was extraordinary news in the human history of the region that a volcano was being born under our very eyes! I think any further discussion, at this stage, would be beyond the scope of this article and that is because I intend to present this information to the general public, therefore any reference to historical discussions will lead to more technical and complex geological arguments which I think is better left to the specialists. Nonetheless, after the interview part at the end, more information about the general geology of the region is presented.

Anyhow, like many people I was also finding it difficult to get accurate and a clearer picture of what really was going on in Ziarat. I then thought I should send an e-mail to Din Mohammed Kakar who was familiar with the geology of the area in question and had previously compiled a brilliant report on October 2008 earthquake. After a few days I not only had a reply from Mr Kakar but also the good news that he had already been to the area and returned with some valuable pictures and firsthand information. Let’s see what he has to say to my informal questions that I had put to him via an e-mail: (KD=Khadim Durrani; DMK = Din Mohammed Kakar).

PART I

KD: Could you please tell our readers about the exact location of the place where the volcanic activity took place? Reference to nearest villages may help the readers.

DMK: The area is within the Ziarat Valley, about one km to the west of Killi Charri/Cherri.

Fig. 1.  Location map showing Charri (centre) and the surrounding villages. The village of Waam is only a few kilometres to the south of Charri but not marked on the map. For further details please refer to Fig. 6 of Part II (Google – Map 2010).

KD: How can one get there?

DMK: It’s not that difficult, but you would need a four wheel drive (4×4) to get there . Take Quetta-Ziarat route, i.e., from Quetta northwest wards to Kuchlaak and then from there, almost eastwards, follow Quetta-Ziarat Road. Once you have reached Killi (village) Waam, situated on Quetta Ziarat road, then turn left and follow the stream (Fig. 1); the site in question is only 10 minutes from there (Fig. 2, below). The Waam Killi is well known as it was badly hit during the October 29 earthquake of 2008. No public transport is available to the site; busses run only between Quetta and Ziarat – on Quetta-Ziarat Road.

Fig. 2. The circled area shows the location of the volcanic eruption; the surrounding dark coloured rocks are Bibai Formation. Waam village is visible in the upper part of the picture (Photo: Din Mohammed Kakar).

KD: How long does it take from Quetta to get to the site?

DMK: hour and half

KD: Tell us a bit about the people who inhabit the area and their ethnic background? What they do for living?

DMK: Majority of the people in Ziarat valley belong to Kakar tribes of Pashtoon ethnicity. For living they grow various fruits and raise general livestock. Often they live in harsh economic conditions as the region is mountainous and receives little rain fall and often gets hit by long spells of drought. Literacy rate is not very high either.

KD: What is the population of the area, including that of the villages that surround it?

DMK: The area is sparsely populated; there aren’t any houses in the immediate surroundings of the site. Only a tube well for agriculture purposes is present whose cables and poles had been affected by the event.

KD: How was the news of a volcanic eruption felt/received by the people of that locality? Were they frightened, very frightened or extremely frightened?

DMK:  The event occurred just after the sunset. According to the people that I have spoken to they said they saw flames and smoke rising from the site and thought that it could be due to electric short circuiting of the electric poles that were there. They reported the incident to local WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) office. The WAPDA, as usual, ignored to respond immediately and said that they would visit the site next day in the morning; they simply disconnected the electric supply. Next day early in the morning the people could again see the flames from a reasonable distance. However, the morning after the WAPDA officials visited the site and reported the situation to the district administration. The site was eventually visited by a DCO (District Coordinating Officer) but he did not know what to do about it, so he reported the event to the media.

Since the area had already been affected badly by the October 2008 earthquake, this new unusual and unexplained phenomenon once again had frightened them; they seemed concerned.  Interestingly, some people associated the new phenomenon with the formation/mineralization of gold and chromite and naively thought that after the devastating earthquake of the previous year they were being blessed and rewarded [with new valuable minerals]. The reason they thought so could be due to the fact the chromite ore deposits are of dark grey colour and look in colour a bit to the lava that had been squeezed out of the earth.

KD: Also tell how the general people explained/interpreted this phenomenon?

DMK: The majority of the people are traditional Muslims; they believe that due to their non-adherence to the true teachings of Islam God is unhappy with the people of the region. Similar views were expressed by the religious scholars of the area who explained natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions were happening due to sinful acts of the people and warned the communities to respect the true teachings of Islam or else be ready for more such events to occur.

KD: What did the local authorities do to reassure the communities? Did u speak with any local officials?

DMK: Well, quoting the DCO it was reported in the media that the people living in the immediate vicinity to the site had been removed and relocated elsewhere, but as far as I am concerned, on the ground, I have not seen any signs of relocating them. People of the Killi Charri who live in the close proximity to the site were still living there. Though I spoke with common folks but unfortunately, I was unable to speak to the authorities.

KD: What made you think that you should go there and observe the area for yourself?

DMK: As you know since 2006 I have been involved in earthquake research/studies of Ziarat/Pishin region, so when I heard about this new development of volcanic activity, I thought I should go there. But at the time I was in Karachi, from there I rushed to the scene but to my disappointment nothing was left there; only a two meter deep pit/hole that was dug out there could be seen.

KD: What do you mean by nothing was left there?

DMK: Actually I got there on the day 5 after the start of the volcanic activity. But to my surprise I found out that the officials from the GSP’s Islamabad office had already removed the cone of the volcano and, can you believe, the remaining bits were taken away by Frontier Corps; I am still wondering what will they do with the ‘lava samples’ .

Fig. 3. (Din Mohammed what you have stated above about an FC soldier’s taking away the remaining bits has been captured in the picture above – what a coincidence! That shows that you and your sources are credible! Photo source: European Press Agency)

Only 2-3 meter deep dug out well was there for me.

However, on my return form there I conveyed my written Concerns to the Director General of GSP for this un-scientific approach of their research team.

KD: What a shame we have lost, partially, the forensic elements of this volcanic activity that would not only have been helpful in understanding the mechanism behind the volcanic activity but also the students of geology form Balochistan and the rest of Pakistan would definitely have benefited!

DMK: You are absolutely right there; we can only regret their premature action.

KD: Now tell me how did you go there? Who financed your excursion and what were your difficulties in getting there?

DMK: Logistically speaking, when it comes to carrying out our routine field excursions we always have to overcome scores of hurdles before we get what we apply for.

Blochistan university is not a well funded educational institution; its resources are often over-stretched and only curriculum based programmes are financially supported. Had I made a request for a transport, it would have taken at least 10 days before I would have been allowed to use institution’s vehicle. I therefore could not wait and asked a friend, Mohammed Aslam Kakar, who took me in his 4×4 to the area. His vehicle and company greatly aided my field excursion. I really appreciated his help; many thanks to him.

However, it was raining when we arrived on the site but as I said earlier on nothing was left there to be studied. After making some general observations we returned to Quetta with only a couple photographs.

I must admit I was badly disappointed by the irresponsible action of GSP team – I cannot blame the FC soldier as most of them are illiterate and this particular soldier may not have realised that the fresh rock that he was taking away had no monetary value but could have been an invaluable in-situ educational tool for earth scientists and students alike.

KD: You said you managed to make some observations. Tell us what were they?

DMK: What we observed were two volcanic vents, 2 to 3 meters apart. In order to see what was underneath these vents or how far did the vents extend into the ground, the GSP team had dug a two meter deep pit/hole by removing the newly erupted volcanic material. We saw these two hole/Opening one and half feet in diameter having marks/traces of black pumice. The heat of a volcanic activity could still be felt through these openings. If someone put wood/bushes deep in the opening, these risked catching fire. So the temperature was still high at depth showing lava presence.

Interestingly these volcanic eruptions took place within the Bibai Formation (Late Cretaceous). The Rocks exposed in the area include: Parh Group (Cretaceous); Bibai Formation (Late Cretaceous); Dungan Formation (Paleocene); Ghazij Formation (Eocene).

Fig. 4. The two volcanic vents (pits/holes) and the leftover pumice blowout (to the right between the vents) – Photo: Din Mohammed Kakar)

Fig. 5. Another view of the vent (Photo: Din Mohammed Kakar).

KD:  How would you interpret what you observed?

DMK: To be honest with you I am not a volcanologist and the other problem that we are faced with is that of limited data that are available. In the wake of recent seismic events, an in-depth structural study can help us have a clearer picture about the tectonics of the region and its possible implication in causing the present volcanic activity. For the time being the collected samples have been sent for further analyses. However, there are possibilities of:

• a partial melting at shallow depth due to recent earthquake activities. Since October 2008, the area has been hit by thousands of aftershocks.
• As we have earlier reported in our research papers that there is rupture in the basement rock below the 15km sedimentary cover; the present volcanism may have some link to that basement rupturing – but I am not sure, I am just imagining.

KD: How other regional and Pakistani geologists interpret it?

DMK: So far no one has come up with any plausible scientific explanation. However, GSP researchers think the reactivation of Bibai thrust may have been responsible for the recent volcanic activity. The analysis of samples, collected by GSP team, would help ascertain the depth of the volcanic activity.

KD: Are there any dormant (sleeping) volcanoes in the area? If yes then please give their location and the references.

DMK: Not reported but this one seems to have stopped coughing and has gone back to sleep!

KD: I hope so. Her sleep should be a wakeup call for us because if not dead then the future eruptions could be very violent and devastating.

DMK: Yes, you are right.

KD: Do you see any link between the October 29, 2008’s severe earthquake that had hit the Ziarat valley and the recent volcanism?

DMK: There is a possibility, since aftershocks continue to occur after October 2008’s earthquake and they have not ceased completely.

KD: I am aware there are basement faults in the region, what is their role if any?

DMK: To some extent I have explained that above.

KD: If this could develop into a proper volcano then what are the consequences?

DMK: The consequences can be devastating to people, property and to the environment, especially in the densely populated areas.

In a directed blast pyroclastic material is ejected into the atmosphere where the material is spread out in an umbrella shape and falls over large areas. Rock fragments produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size or emplacement mechanism is called tephra. The largest pieces of tephra (greater than 64 mm) called blocks and bombs, are normally shot ballistically from the volcano and because of their large size they fall out near their source. Smaller ejecta such as lapilli (2-64 mm) and ash (<2 mm) which are convected upward by the heat of the eruption will fall out farther from the volcano. The release of gases and heat are other hazards associated with an erupting volcano: e.g., carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrochloric acid (HCl), etc., water vapour being the largest portion of gases released into the atmosphere.

Lava Flows are the least hazardous of all processes in volcanic eruptions. How far a lava flow travels depends on the flows temperature, silica content, extrusion rate, and slope of the land. A basalt flow like those in Hawaii have low silica contents and low viscosities so they can flow long distances. Such a flow can move as far away as 4 km from its source and has a thickness of 10 m. Because of lava’s relatively slow movement people rarely get killed by them. Lava flows are very hot (between 550 degrees C and 1400 degrees C) and don’t cool instantaneously; sometimes the temperature can be felt even after many weeks and can therefore cause injuries. People have burnt their skin, charred their eyebrows, and melted the soles of their boots from being near or on a hot lava flow.

KD: What does the provincial govt say about it?

DMK: As far as I am aware, nothing special.

KD: Have the specimens been sent for analysis and where to? Is there any facility in Pakistan to analyse such specimens?

DMK: Yes the specimens have been sent to Colorado University for analysis. Yes  limited facility is there  in Islamabad Geosciences lab.

KD: Do we have any volcanologist in Pakistan?

DMK: Not that I am aware of but I know Dr Tawab Khan (Achakzai) did his Ph. D research on the Bibai Formation of the Kach-Ziarat region; perhaps he could shed some light on this topic.

KD: Oh, you mean Tawab Gul! The other day I came across his research paper (abstract). I agree with you Dr Tawab’s take on this issue can be very helpful.

DMK: Me too.

Thank you very much Din Mohammed for the valuable information that you shared with us. This would definitely help us increase our understanding of the area; we would also be waiting curiously to know more about the results of the samples that have been sent for analysis. Before I move to the next part, I would like our readers to view the following pictures that were taken and sent by Din Mohammed Kakar. Please note I have not numbered them  yet  and I will write their captions later on:

PART II

Below in, Part II, I am presenting some background information to the general geology of the area so that people with relevant expertise could come up with possible explanations about the present volcanism.

General Geology of the area

As I have said above, geologically speaking, the news came as a big surprise as there are no known active or dormant volcanoes in the region. The rocks of the Tor Ghar (in Pashto language: Tor = black + Ghar = mountain) or the black mountain are well known to the geological community of Balochistan; in the geological parlance they are known as Bibai Formation (or volcaniclastic rocks) of the Upper Cretaceous and are exposed throughout the Ziarat district within the western part of the Sulaiman Thrust-Fold Belt east of the Quetta Syntaxes[i].

In terms of geology Kazmi (1988) has placed Kach-Ziarat area at the contact of two distinct tectonic zones: a) autochthonous folded zone in the south of the east-west trending Ziarat valley, comprising of east-west trending simple folds and b) allochthonous zone in the northern part of the valley where the nappes and overthusts truncate the valley, e.g., Bibai and Gogai nappes and overthrusts (Figs: 8 & 9).

Fig. 6.  From the sky: a view of the Bibai Formation – the dark grey curvy part in the middle of the photo (Google-Imagery). Please note during Ziarat earthquake of October 2008 villages of Warchum, Kala China, Kawas, Ahmadun, Gogai, Wam, Tangai, Spezanda were worst hit. For a cross-sectional view of the part of above please refer to figure 9, in particular sections G-H & E-F. Please also note that present volcanic eruption occurred near the village of Charri only a few kilomters to the north of village (killi) Waam which can be seen at the bottom in the above picture.

Fig.7. From the ground: a view of the Bibai Formation – the black part (through Tawab Khan’s lens). Location: near Ahmadun (I think).

STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE IN KACH-ZIARAT AREA

In the Kach-Ziarat area the Bibai Formation overlies the Parh Formation (Late Cretaceous) and underlies the Dungan Limestone (Paleocene), in other words the Bibai Formation is sandwiched between Dungan Limestone (the top) and Parh Formation (the bottom).

Mudstones, sandstones, boulder conglomerates, volcanic ash, tuffs, agglomerates and lava flows are the main constituting rocks of the Bibai Formation. Kazmi (1979) identified two distinct litho-stratigraphic zones: a lower zone that comprises mainly agglomerates, tuffs and lava flows while the upper zone consists of ash beds, tiffs, sandstones, mudstones and conglomerates.

Fig. 8. Geological map of the Kach-Ziarat area; almost the upper half of this figure corresponds to Fig. 6 above (reproduced from Kazmi, 1979).

Based on geochemistry and field observations the volcanic rocks of the Bibai Formation are interpreted to have been associated with the Reunion hotspot magmatism (Nabi et al 2002). The hotspot volcanoes or seamounts were developed on the sea floor of the north-western margin of Indo-Pakistan Plate.  The presence of trace elements suggests a mantle source of the magma, confirming that the fragments of the volcanic conglomerate of the Bibai Formation were derived from a hotspot related volcanic terrain (Khan, 2007).

On the basis of fossil contents the age for Bibai Formation is said to range from Campanian to Maestrichtian age of Upper Cretaceous or about 83 to 70 million years ago (Kazmi, 1979). However, by using radiometric dating (argon – argon or ⁴⁰Ar/Ar³⁹) which is used to date geological events, particularly the eruption and cooling of igneous rocks and minerals, Khan (1994 in Nabi et al 2002) dated Bibai and Chinjan volcanic rocks to be 65.7 to 75.9 million years

The general public may find it useful to know that the Himalayan Ranges were formed as a result of continent-continent collision (Indian against Eurasian Plate) that had begun in the middle-Eocene (Molnar and Tapponier, 1975; Powell, 1979).

I understand the information that I have presented about the general geology above is not an exhaustive one but it can be helpful to those earth scientists who do not know much about the area.  The present information can help dispel misconception advanced by People who do not have knowledge of the subject and that of the region; they are confusing the news of this volcanic eruption with the mud volcanoes of Makran – the two are not only situated hundreds of kilometres away from each other but are also completely two different things, controlled by different mechanism.

You may also find the following few photographs interesting:

Fig.10. The eye from the sky showing contact between Bibai Formation and Parh Formation (Google Imagery 2010). Location: south of Ahmadun.

Fig. 11. What you saw in the Fig. 10 above, from Google’s image, can be seen in this photo overlooking south-east from the ground, i.e., contact between Bela and Parh formations. The location of this photo can almost be pinpointed on the above one by the help of the jeep-able road/trail that goes through the two formations in both the pictures! The snow covered peak in the background is that of Dungan limestone. (Photo: Khadim Durrani – February 1990)

References:

Kazmi, A. H., 1988: Stratigraphy of the Dungan Group in Kach-Ziarat area, N. E. Balochistan. Geol. Bull. Univ. Peshawar, 1988, Vol. 21, pages: 117-130

Kazmi. A. H., 1979: The Bibai and Gogai Nappes in the Kach-Ziarat areas of Northeastern Balochistan. In: Geodynamics of Pakistan (Farah, A. & DeJong, K. A., eds.). Geological Survey of Pakistan, Quetta, pages: 334- 339.

Khan, T., 2007: Geology and tectonic setting of the volcaniclastic succession of the Upper Cretaceous, western Sulaiman fold belt, Pakistan Abstract. Journal of Nepal Geological Society, Vol. 36 (Sp. Issue) p.6

Lawrence, R. D. & Yeats, R. S., 1979: Geological reconnaissance of the Chaman fault in Pakistan. In: Geodynamics of Pakistan (Farah, A. & DeJong, K. A., eds.). Geological Survey of Pakistan, Quetta. Pages:351-357.

Molnar, P. & Tapponier, P., 1975: Late Cenozoic tectonics of Asia: effects of a continental collision. Science 189, pages: 419-426.

Nabi, G. et al., 2002: Geology, geochemistry & tectonic setting of doleritic sills of Qila-Saifullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Acta Minerlogica Pakistanica; vol. 13. Pages 41-51.

Powell, C. M., 1979: A speculative tectonic history of Pakistan: some constraints from the Indian Ocean.  In: Geodynamics of Pakistan (Farah, A. & DeJong, K. A., eds.). Geological Survey of Pakistan, Quetta. Pages: 5-24.

Further reading:

Bender, F. K & Raza, H. A., (Editors), 1995: Geology of Pakistan. Publisher: Gerbruder Borntraeger, Berlin. Germany, pages: 414.

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Endnotes:

[i] The Sulaiman Thrust-foldbelt is an active tectonic feature on the northwestern margin of the Indian plate. Like the other fold-and-thrust belts of Pakistan (Kashmir, Salt Range/Potwar Plateau, Kirther Range), the Sulaiman Range is a consequence of the convergence of the Indo-Pakistani and Eurasian plates that resulted in the ongoing Himalayan collision. Owing to oblique convergence along Chaman fault, the Sulaiman region depicts a complex interaction of strike slip and thrust motion, (Lawrence and Yeats, 1979).