The Pine Point Formation is a

stratigraphical Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrat ...

unit of

Givetian The Givetian is one of two faunal stages in the Middle Devonian Period. It lasted from million years ago to million years ago. It was preceded by the Eifelian Stage and followed by the Frasnian Stage. It is named after the town of Givet in ...

age Age or AGE may refer to: Time and its effects * Age, the amount of time someone or something has been alive or has existed ** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1 * Ageing or aging, the process of becoming olde ...

in the

Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin The Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) underlies of Western Canada including southwestern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories. This vast sedimentary ...

. It takes the name from Pine Point, a promontory (and former townsite) on the south shore of the

Great Slave Lake Great Slave Lake (french: Grand lac des Esclaves), known traditionally as Tıdeè in Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì (Dogrib), Tinde’e in Wıìlıìdeh Yatii / Tetsǫ́t’ıné Yatıé (Dogrib / Chipewyan), Tu Nedhé in Dëne Sųłıné Yatıé (Chi ...

, west of

Fort Resolution Fort Resolution (''Denı́nu Kų́ę́'' (pronounced "deh-nih-noo-kwenh") "moose island place") is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores ...

, and was first described in outcrop on the shore of the lake between Pine Point and Fort Resolution by A.E. Cameron in 1918.Cameron, A.E., 1918. Explorations in the vicinity of Great Slave Lake;

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the e ...

, Summary Report 1917, Part C, pp. 21-28.

Lithology

The Pine Point Formation is composed of

bituminous limestone Bituminous limestone is limestone impregnated and sometimes deeply colored with bituminous matter derived from the decomposition of animal and plant remains entombed within the mass or in its vicinity. Uses The amount of bituminous matter or asph ...

and calcareous

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especia ...

Distribution

The Pine Point Formation reaches a thickness of up to in its type locality on the shore of the Great Slave Lake.

Relationship to other units

The Pine Point Formation is overlain by the

Presqu'ile Formation The Elk Point Group is a stratigraphic unit of Early to Middle Devonian age in the Western Canada and Williston sedimentary basins. It underlies a large area that extends from the southern boundary of the Northwest Territories in Canada to ...

and Sulphur Point Formation; It conformably overlays the Chinchaga Formation and Fitzgerald Formation. It is equivalent to Muskeg Formation in

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

, the Dunedin Formation in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

and the upper

Nahanni Formation The Nahanni Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Givetian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It takes the name from Nahanni Butte, a prominent ridge at the confluence of the South Nahanni River and Liard River, and was first descri ...

in western

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

Subdivisions

The Pine Point has group status in the southern

, and includes: * Buffalo River Member *

Horn River Formation The Horn River Formation (also ''Horn River Shale'') is a stratigraphic unit of Devonian (early Givetian to late Frasnian) age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It is a thick sequence of marine sediments that was first described in out ...

shale tongues *

Keg River Formation The Keg River Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Givetian age in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Description It takes the name from the Keg River, a tributary of the Peace River, and was first described in the California Standard Stee ...

platform facies was included in the group before 1975

References

{{Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, Fort_Nelson=yes, Northwest_Plains=yes Stratigraphy of the Northwest Territories Stratigraphy of British Columbia Givetian Stage Devonian southern paleotropical deposits