undifferentiated rock units

Paleontology and geology

Most of Nunavut was above sea level during the Permian, with the exception of a few islands in the Arctic Archipelago. The land was covered with cycads, conifers, seed ferns, and gnetophytes, which left their pollen and spores in sediments that washed out to sea. These seas were home to corals, cephalopods, bryozoans, crinoids, brachiopods, foraminifera, and even sharks. Fossils of these animals can be found in the sandstones, shales, and limestones of Nunavut, and they record a change from a tropical to subtropical environment as the continent moved north. Many rocks from the Permian have been eroded away or are buried below the surface, but a few exposures can be found in the northern islands. Additional exposures may be included in the undifferentiated Paleozoic rocks on this map and may appear on other more detailed maps.