Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Aug. 03, 2018
Document Documentand Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	PVAC
Entity Registrant Name	PENN VIRGINIA CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000077159
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		15,058,480