Guiana Shield
Ancient Precambrian shield with tepuis and rich biodiversity.
The Guiana Shield is a 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast. It is one of the three cratons of the South American plate. 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, most of Brazil north of the Amazon River, and parts of eastern Colombia.
- age
- 1.7 billion years (Precambrian)
- type
- Craton of the South American plate
- location
- Northeast South America
- countries_underlain
- Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia
- highest_point
- Pico da Neblina (2,995 m / 9,826 ft) in Brazil
- known_for
- Tepuis, Angel Falls, Kaieteur Falls, Cuquenan Falls, high biodiversity
Lore & Background
The Guiana Shield is one of the world's most biodiverse regions, and has many endemic species. The region houses over 3000 vertebrate species: 1168 fresh water fish, 269 amphibians (54% endemics), 295 reptiles (29%), 1004 birds (7.7%), and 282 mammals (11%). Plant life is equally rich and 13,367 species of vascular plants have been found, approximately 40% of which is considered endemic. The shield is overlain by the largest expanse of tropical forest on any Precambrian shield area in the world. Known protected areas include the Iwokrama Forest of central Guyana, Kaieteur, Kanuku National Park of southern Guyana, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Central Suriname Nature Reserve of Suriname, the Guiana Amazonian Park in French Guiana and the Tumucumaque National Park in the Amapá State of Brazil. In Venezuela the forests are protected by Canaima, Parima-Tapirapeco and Serranía de la Neblina national parks. In 2014, the Government of Colombia designated a 250 hectare area of the Guiana Shield, as a Ramsar Wetland, thus becoming a protected area of international importance in accordance to the Ramsar Convention. According to recent researches, although ecosystems of the Guiana Highlands remain vibrant, emerging issues (including 'a well-known invasive plant elsewhere' Poa annua and 'one of the most aggressive weeds' Polypogon elongatus) and infectious faecal bacteria Helicobacter pylori have been documented.
Reader's Guide
The Guiana Shield is one of the three cratons of the South American plate, a 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast. 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, most of Brazil north of the Amazon River, and parts of eastern Colombia. The first three are called The Guianas, and most of the Guiana Shield coincides with Guiana Island. 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. The highest point in the shield is Pico da Neblina in Brazil at 2,995 metres (9,826 ft). Pico da Neblina is the highest summit of the larger Neblina massif, a highly eroded sandstone plateau that straddles the Venezuela-Brazil border and that has lost the typical tabletop shape of the other tepuis in the region.
Did You Know?
- The Guiana Shield is one of the three cratons of the South American plate.
- The Guiana Highlands are the source of Angel Falls, Kaieteur Falls, and Cuquenan Falls.
- The highest point in the shield is Pico da Neblina in Brazil at 2,995 metres (9,826 ft).
- The shield houses over 3000 vertebrate species, including 1168 fresh water fish and 269 amphibians (54% endemics).
- In 2014, the Government of Colombia designated a 250 hectare area of the Guiana Shield as a Ramsar Wetland.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Guiana Shield?
The Guiana Shield is a massive Precambrian craton that has been sitting in the northeast corner of South America for roughly 1.7 billion years. It serves as one of the three foundational crustal blocks that make up the South American tectonic plate.
What are Guiana Shield's powers/role?
Its elevated highland regions produce the iconic flat-topped tepui mountains and feed some of the planet's tallest waterfalls, including Angel Falls, Kaieteur Falls, and Cuquenan Falls. The shield also shelters extraordinary biodiversity across its tropical landscapes.
How does Guiana Shield's story end?
It doesn't, really—this ancient geological formation is still very much shaping the landscape today. Its highest point, Pico da Neblina at about 2,995 meters in Brazil, continues to anchor the region's topography.
Why is Guiana Shield important?
Beyond being one of the oldest exposed pieces of continental crust on Earth, it underlies parts of six countries and harbors ecosystems with species found nowhere else. Its role as a craton also makes it a key piece in understanding South American plate tectonics.
Where can you find Guiana Shield?
It stretches across the northeastern coast of South America, forming the bedrock beneath Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana while extending into Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia.
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