The chenier coast of Suriname: Modern and geological development

Abstract The Holocene coastal plain of Suriname is part of the extensive chenier plain between the Amazon River and the Orinoco River. The development began approximately 6000 yrs B.P. and was interrupted twice by periods of erosion or non-deposition. Along the present coastline large shoreface-attached mudbanks migrate continually to the west. Cheniers are formed in the interbank areas. The geological development and stratigraphy of the Suriname chenier plain and the morphodynamic development of the modern coastline are discussed. Some hypothetical explanations of the geological development from the actual morphodynamics are briefly discussed. A new approach has been developed involving the analysis of aerial photographs using a geographical information system. This was used to analyse the geomorphological changes of the Suriname coastline.

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