| Amazon Basin | |
|---|---|
| Bacia do Amazonas | |
  | |
 The basin is located in the center and center-right of the picture. | |
| Coordinates | 2°29′47″S57°3′25″W / 2.49639°S 57.05694°W /-2.49639; -57.05694 |
| Etymology | Amazon River |
| Location | South America |
| Region | North |
| Country |  Brazil |
| State(s) | Amazonas,Pará |
| Cities | Manaus |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Onshore |
| Boundaries | Guiana Shield,Gurupá Arch;Marajó Basin,Brazilian Shield,Púrus Arch;Solimões Basin |
| Part of | Amazon basins |
| Area | 620,000 km2 (240,000 sq mi) |
| Hydrology | |
| River(s) | Amazon River |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Continentalrift basin |
| Plate | South America |
| Age | Cambrian-recent |
TheAmazon Basin is a largesedimentary basin (620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi)) located near the middle and lower course of theAmazon River, south theGuiana Shield and north of theCentral Brazilian Shield. The basin developed on arift that originated about550 million years ago during theCambrian.
The Amazon Basin is located south of theGuiana Shield, north of theCentral Brazilian Shield, east of theSolimões Basin, and west of theMarajó Basin. It is bound to the west by thePúrus Arch and in the east by theGurupá Arch. The basin has an elongated shape with a WSW-ENE orientation. Its long axis runs from the vicinity ofManaus to the area near the confluence ofXingu River with the Amazon River.
The Amazon Basin was developed on arift, called the Sub-Amazonal Rift, that originated about550 million years ago during continental collision of theWest African Craton.[1] Parts of the rift were reactivated during the opening of theSouth Atlantic.[1] The Amazon Basin evolved throughtectonic activity includingcontinental collision,subduction, and distortion of parts of theAndes Mountain Range.[2]
The Amazon basin hosts large deposits of the aluminum-richsedimentary rockbauxite.[3] The discovery of bauxite deposits approximately 70 years ago[3] made Brazil one of the most important countries in terms of both production and possession of bauxite deposits.
Major South American geological features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tectonic plates |  | ||||
| Cratons andshields | |||||
| Structures undergoingsubduction | |||||
| Faults andshear zones | |||||
| Rifts andgrabens | |||||
| Sedimentary basins | |||||
| Orogenies | |||||
| Metallogenetic provinces | |||||
| Volcanism |
| ||||
Sedimentary basins of Brazil | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onshore |
|      | ||||||||
| Offshore | ||||||||||
| Source | Souza Lima, Wagner; Hamsi Junior, Gilvan Pio (2003)."Bacias sedimentares brasileiras".Phoenix.49: 1. Retrieved4 September 2017. | |||||||||
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