It is used as an abrasive for the manufacture of glass and some chemicals. It is used in refractory in sinter and allied
complexes of steel mills and has metallurgical applications. Quartzose sand free of impurities is used as silica sand or
glass sand. Silica sand deposits of Mianwali District is the main producing deposit of the country but large deposits of
silica sand occur also in Nowshera, D.I.Khan and Abbottabad Districts of KPK, Dadu District of Sindh and now in Dera Bugti,
D.G.Khan, Barkhan, and Mosa Khel Districts. Datta Formation of Jurassic and its equivalent formations contain thick beds of
silica sand Khisor and Marawat ranges, between Paniala and Pezu. In Salt range and Surghar range glass sand beds occur in
Datta Formation (Jurassic) and Patala formation (Late Paleocene). Near Malakhel, glass sand beds with over 99% SiO, occur in Cretaceous
Lumshiwal Formation. In Hazara high grade silica sand occurs as thick layers within a 150 meters thick sequence of metamorphosed calcareous
sandstone at Mand Kachcha. Large deposits of silica sands are found in the Eocene and Oligocene strata near Thano Bula Khan in Dadu district.
Large lenticular bodies of silica sand occur in meta sediments in Mohmand agency. D.I.Khan deposits show SiO, (92-99%), Al2 O, (0.18-5.77%),
Fe, O, (0.1-1.2%), CaO (0.38-1.68%) and Mgo (0.1-1.60%). Dear Bugti silica sand deposits in the lower part of Vihowa group in the vicinity
of Dera Bugti town and also just close to Dera Bugti Sui road in the Loti anticline. Good quality silica sands reported in the Toi Formation
in Duki, Chamalang, Alu Khan Kach (Gharwandi), Kingri and probably Shirani area, while from the Vihowa Group in the Zinda Pir and Dera Bugti area..