PALEOENVIRONMENTAL AND FAUNAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LATE MIOCENE DHOK BUN AMEER KHATOON SITE, DISTRICT CHAKWAL, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The Dhok Bun Ameer Khatoon (DBAK) locality of northern Punjab yields a diverse Late Miocene mammalian assemblage representing Rhinocerotids, Giraffids and Bovids from the Chinji and Nagri formations of the Siwalik Group (≈14.2–9.5 Ma). Previous taxonomic descriptions identify Gaindatherium browni, Giraffa priscilla,Gazella sp. and Eotragus sp. as key taxa. Integrating these faunal data with sedimentological observations—red-brown mudstones, grey sandstones, and interbedded silt lenses—suggests a fluvio-lacustrine depositional system under a monsoonal climate. The present synthesis reconstructs the Late Miocene environment of DBAK as a seasonally humid woodland-savanna mosaic that hosted mixed feeders and browsers, linking local evolution to regional Siwalik palaeoecology.