The Pine Point Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Givetian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

Pine Point Formation
Stratigraphic range: Givetian
TypeGeological formation
UnderliesPresqu'ile Formation, Sulphur Point Formation
OverliesChinchaga Formation
Thicknessup to 115 metres (380 ft)[1]
Lithology
PrimaryLimestone, shale
Location
Coordinates61°00′43″N 114°15′12″W / 61.01206°N 114.25335°W / 61.01206; -114.25335 (Pine Point Formation)
RegionWCSB
Country Canada
Type section
Named forPine Point, Northwest Territories
Named byA.E. Cameron
Year defined1918

It takes the name from Pine Point, a promontory (and former townsite) on the south shore of the Great Slave Lake, west of Fort Resolution, and was first described in outcrop on the shore of the lake between Pine Point and Fort Resolution by A.E. Cameron in 1918.[2]

Lithology

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The Pine Point Formation is composed of bituminous limestone and calcareous shale.[1]

Distribution

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The Pine Point Formation reaches a thickness of up to 115 metres (380 ft) in its type locality on the shore of the Great Slave Lake.

Relationship to other units

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The Pine Point Formation is overlain by the Presqu'ile Formation and Sulphur Point Formation; It conformably overlays the Chinchaga Formation and Fitzgerald Formation.[1]

It is equivalent to Muskeg Formation in northern Alberta, the Dunedin Formation in British Columbia and the upper Nahanni Formation in western Northwest Territories.

Subdivisions

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The Pine Point has group status in the southern Northwest Territories, and includes:

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Pine Point Formation". Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  2. ^ Cameron, A.E., 1918. Explorations in the vicinity of Great Slave Lake; Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report 1917, Part C, pp. 21-28.