undifferentiated rock units

Paleontology and geology

During the Cambrian, most of mainland Nunavut was exposed above sea level. Sediments eroding off the land were deposited on the shallow to deep continental shelf and slope that covered the rest of the territory. In some areas close to shore, the seas were so shallow that seawater evaporated and left deposits of salt and gypsum. Deeper areas were home to stromatolites, trilobites, brachiopods, and other organisms that left their traces in the sand. Fossils of these creatures are found in the few small exposures of sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolostone in the Arctic Islands. Additional exposures may be included in the undifferentiated Paleozoic rocks on this map, and they may appear on other more detailed maps.