Amazonian shield
Encyclopedia
The Amazonian shield is a geologic province
located in South America
and occupies much of the eastern part of the continent. Smaller areas of Precambrian
rocks to the North and South of the Amazonian shield are the Guiana Shield, Rio Apa and Platian
cratons, to the West there is the Sao Francisco craton
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Geologic province
A geologic or geomorphic province is a spatial entity with common geologic or geomorphic attributes. A province may include a single dominant structural element such as a basin or a fold belt, or a number of contiguous related elements...
located in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and occupies much of the eastern part of the continent. Smaller areas of Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
rocks to the North and South of the Amazonian shield are the Guiana Shield, Rio Apa and Platian
Rio de la Plata Craton
The Río de la Plata craton is one of the five cratons of the South American continent. The other four cratons are: Amazonian, São Francisco, Río Apa and Arequipa–Antofalla.It crops out in southern Uruguay and parts of Argentina...
cratons, to the West there is the Sao Francisco craton
Sao Francisco craton
The São Francisco craton is located in the eastern part of South America. Outcrops in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia.It includes a number of different blocks of the Archean basement, separated by orogenic belts. The belts are characterized by sediment basins and passive continental...
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See Also
- Geography of BrazilGeography of BrazilThe country of Brazil occupies roughly half of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil covers a total area of which includes of land and of water. The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina at...
- Geography of South AmericaGeography of South AmericaThe geography of South America contains many diverse regions and climates. Geographically, South America is generally considered a continent forming the southern portion of the American landmass, south and east of the Panama-Colombia border by most authorities, or south and east of the Panama Canal...
- South American PlateSouth American PlateThe South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge....