Geology of Suriname

The geology of Suriname is predominantly formed by the Guyana Shield, which spans 90% of its land area.

It has been found that the construction of the basement was largely created during the final phase of the Trans-Amazonian Orogeny Cycle, about 1.9 billion years ago.

This cycle has had a significant influence on the geology of Suriname, characterized by sedimentation, metamorphosis, corrugation and magmatism.

The Coesewijne Formation in the savannah belt consists of coarse, unsorted sands with kaolinite clays.

[3] The fertile coastal plain consists of marine clay deposits, weathering products from the Andean mountain range that reached the coast of Suriname via the Amazon River and the Guiana Current.

The geologist Jan Zonneveld, who worked at the Centraal Bureau Luchtkartering in Paramaribo, around 1950, after studying the use of water level profiles, field research and the interpretation of aerial photographs, was of the opinion that on the surface not two, but three elements should be distinguished, namely from north to south: Some authorities still distinguish a fourth element, namely "the domestic remaining highlands".

The fragmentation of the stepped relief into a "multiconvex" hill landscape must have taken place during the last part of the Pleistocene.

The Brownsberg, the Bakhuis, Hok A Hin-, Nassau and Lely Mountains are characterized by plateaus that consist of laterite and local bauxite crusts.

[10] There are three areas that are characterized by the presence of savannas: On sandstone, granite and laterite caps, there are smaller, more or less individually occurring savannahs here and there.

Geological research is often not easy because a large part of the country is difficult to reach and is covered with dense forests.

[12] In 2013, Surinamese institutions in collaboration with Brazil worked on a mapping project at the southern border of the country in the Sipaliwini district.

[13] The project will lead to the implementation of new topographic, hydrographic, geological, geophysical and structural maps.