Orinoco Belt & Guiana Shield

Why in News?  

The United States has recently turned its attention to Venezuela’s vast mineral reserves, particularly in the Orinoco Belt and the Guiana Shield.

Orinoco Belt

• The Orinoco Belt (Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco) in Venezuela holds the world's largest petroleum deposits, primarily extra-heavy crude oil.

20% of the world’s proven reserves of heavy and extra-heavy crude oil or a quarter of the reserves of all nations within OPEC lie within Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt.

• Location - Located in the southern part of Venezuela's Orinoco River basin (third largest river in the world).
• It stretches across 5 Venezuelan states Guárico, Anzoátegui, Monagas, Delta Amacuro and northern Bolívar.
• Divided Areas - The belt is categorized into 4 main production areas- Boyacá, Junín, Ayacucho, and Carabobo.
• Extra-Heavy Crude - The oil is very dense (low API gravity), similar to liquid asphalt, and often requires blending with diluents (lighter liquids) to flow through pipelines.

Guiana Shield

• The Guiana Shield is a 1.7- to 2-billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America, representing one of the oldest stable cratons on Earth.
• It is recognized as the "greenhouse of the world" for housing the largest remaining block of pristine tropical forest.
• Geography and Political Divisions -
  • The Shield underlies 6 countries and territories
  • The Guianas - Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
  • Southern Venezuela - Including the Bolivar and Amazonas states.
  • Northeastern Brazil -Primarily the states of Roraima, Pará, and Amapá.
  • Southeastern Colombia- Parts of the Guainía and Vaupés departments.

• The region is characterized by dramatic elevations known as the Guiana Highlands, home to unique "table-top" mountains called tepuis.
• Mount Roraima - A massive tepui at the borders of Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela; it famously inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.
• Pico da Neblina - The highest point in the Shield and in Brazil, reaching 2,995 meters.
• Angel Falls - Located in Venezuela, it is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall, originating from the Auyán-tepui.

The Guiana Shield holds approximately 20% of the world's fresh water and stores about 18% of the world's tropical forest carbon.

• Minerals - It contains massive deposits of gold, diamonds, bauxite, and iron ore.

References

Down to Earth | Orinoco belt & Guiana Shield