| Pavy Formation | |
| Type: | Formation |
| Age: | Thanetian |
| Period: | Thanetian |
| Prilithology: | Siltstone |
| Otherlithology: | Coal |
| Namedfor: | Pavy River |
| Region: | Ellesmere Island, Nunavut |
| Coordinates: | 81.7°N -64.4°W |
| Paleocoordinates: | 74.3°N -13.3°W |
| Extent: | Sverdrup Basin |
The Pavy Formation is a geologic formation in Nunavut. It preserves fossil insects of Carabites feildenianus,[1] dating back to the Thanetian stage of the Paleocene period.
The Pavy Formation is interpreted to be fluvial in origin. Trough-crossbedded sandstone facies dominate this formation and were probably channel deposits of a braided river system, with interbeds of siltstone and mudrock representing floodplain deposits. Where thicker intervals of mudrock occur, backswamp ponds or shallow-lake conditions were probably present. Only at Watercourse Valley and Pavy River did conditions stabilize long enough for swamps to develop, producing thick coal beds.