The mangroves of Senegal are limited to the inlet of the Casamance - a river with very low discharge - and to the Sine-Saloum. The mineralogical and geochemical analysis of sediments (derived from 30 deep bore-holes) shows the thickness of the mangrove substrate, which overlies the continental terminal formation. Kaolinite and smectite account for over 90% of the clay fraction. The former is derived from the continental terminal whereas the latter is of marine origin. The chemical composition of the mangrove sediments is remarkably stable and clays play an overwhelming role in the preservation of organic matter and pyrite. Since 1968, a drought in Senegal has caused an important increase in the salinity levels of streams and water-tables; a considerable modification of vegetation zones in the Casamance, especially manifest in the extension of bare flats locally known as "tannes" at the expense of mangroves and marked changes in the morphology and geochemistry of mangrove soils. Compared to most mangrove areas in the humid tropics, mangroves in Senegal are characterized by a very fragile equilibrium.