Guiana Shield

Guiana Shield
Guiana Shield
	Political map of the Guiana Shield
	Coordinates: 5°08′36″N 60°45′45″W / 5.14333°N 60.76250°W
Region	South America

The Guiana Shield^[1] (French: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; Dutch: Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; Portuguese: Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; Spanish: Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast.^[2] The higher elevations on the shield are called the Guiana Highlands, which is where the table-like mountains called tepuis are found. The Guiana Highlands are also the source of some of the world's most well-known waterfalls such as Angel Falls, Kaieteur Falls and Cuquenan Falls.

The Guiana Shield underlies Guyana (previously British Guiana), Suriname (previously Dutch Guiana), and French Guiana (or Guyane), much of southern Venezuela, as well as parts of Colombia and Brazil. The rocks of the Guiana Shield consist of metasediments and metavolcanics (greenstones) overlain by sub-horizontal layers of sandstones, quartzites, shales and conglomerates intruded by sills of younger mafic intrusives such as gabbros.^[3]

^ The term Guiana or The Guianas is often used as a collective name for Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and sometimes even includes the portions of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil (including most of the state of Roraima) which are on the Guiana Shield.
^ Hammond, David S. (ed.) (2005) Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, ISBN
^ Gibbs, A.K. and Barron,C.N. (eds) (1993) The Geology of the Guiana Shield Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, ISBN

[1] The term Guiana or The Guianas is often used as a collective name for Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and sometimes even includes the portions of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil (including most of the state of Roraima) which are on the Guiana Shield.

[2] Hammond, David S. (ed.) (2005) Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, ISBN

[3] Gibbs, A.K. and Barron,C.N. (eds) (1993) The Geology of the Guiana Shield Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, ISBN

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