The basement of the Santos Basin is composed of granites and gneisses of the Araçuarí Belt that formed at the western boundary of the Congo Craton.
The erosion resistant metamorphic and magmatic rocks are exposed in the Serra do Mar, forming the edge of the Santos Basin along the Brazilian coast.

The total stratigraphic thickness of the sediments in the Santos Basin has been estimated at 23,170 metres (76,020 ft) and has been described in detail by Clemente in 2013.
The basement of the Santos Basin is composed of granites and gneisses of the Araçuarí Belt that formed at the western boundary of the Congo Craton. The erosion resistant metamorphic and magmatic rocks are exposed in the Serra do Mar, forming the edge of the Santos Basin along the Brazilian coast.
The total stratigraphic thickness of the sediments in the Santos Basin has been estimated at 23,170 metres (76,020 ft) and has been described in detail by Clemente in 2013.
Santos Basin