Guiana Shield

The Guiana Shield is a very old part of Earth's crust in northeastern South America. It is about 1.7 billion years old and is one of the three main parts of the South American Plate. This area has high lands called the Guiana Highlands. In these highlands, you can find flat-topped mountains known as tepuis.

The Guiana Shield is found under several countries. These include Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, parts of Venezuela, Brazil north of the Amazon River, and eastern Colombia. Some of the world's most famous waterfalls, like Angel Falls, Kaieteur Falls, and Cuquenan Falls, come from this area.

The Guiana Shield is made from very old rocks. These rocks include metasediments, metavolcanics, and layers of sandstones, quartzites, shales, and conglomerates. They help scientists learn about Earth's early history.

Geology

The Guiana Shield is made up of very old rocks, some of the oldest on Earth. These rocks include different types of gneiss, which are changed forms of older rocks, and other materials like tuff and sandstones. These rocks help us learn about the Earth's history from over a billion years ago.

The shield’s rocks are split into different groups and complexes, such as the Imataca Complex in the north and the Roraima Group further south. These formations help scientists understand how the Earth looked and changed millions of years ago.

Geomorphology

The Guiana Shield has three main upland areas. The Guiana Highlands are in Venezuela east of the Orinoco and stretch into Guyana and northern Roraima in Brazil. The Tumucumaque Uplands curve from the Wilhelmina Mountains in Suriname, along the border of Suriname and Guyana, into Brazil’s Pará and Amapá states. The Chiribiquete Plateau is a flat area with sandstone tops on the western edge of the shield.

The north-central part of the Guiana Highlands has flat-topped peaks called tepuis. The highest point in the shield is Pico da Neblina in Brazil, which is 2,995 metres (9,826 ft) tall. This peak is part of the Neblina massif on the border between Venezuela and Brazil.

Ecology

The Guiana Shield is a very rich place for plants and animals. It has thousands of different creatures, like fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Many of these animals can only be found here.

The forests are thick and full of life, much like the Amazon rainforest. Important protected areas include the Iwokrama Forest in Guyana, Kaieteur and Kanuku National Park, the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, the Guiana Amazonian Park in French Guiana, and Tumucumaque National Park in Brazil. Venezuela also protects its forests with Canaima, Parima-Tapirapeco, and Serranía de la Neblina national parks. In 2014, Colombia added part of the Guiana Shield to a list of important wet areas that are protected by international rules.