Google Earth Community: Roraima "The Crystal Mountain"

The Mount Roraima belongs to the geological formation called "The Roraima Group" which is located In the South-east corner of Venezuela. These sedimentary rocks are consider some of the oldest on earth, raising some of them more than 3.000 meters over the sea level. When the first plant life appeared these rocks were already 1.4 billion years old. The present day tabletop mountains, called "Tepuy" by the Pemon Indians, who inhabit the surrounding areas are the remanent of the ancient continent of Gondwana, which were eroded by thousand of years of rain. The name Roraima in Pemon Means "The Mother of all The streams" and it is height is about 2.810 meters. over the sea level . This particular mountain covers a surface of 44 square mile.

Between Some 400 to 250 million years ago the Roraima group was already ancient when south America and Africa were linked a part of the super continent Gondwana. Datable intrusions of igneous diabase in The Roraima group , forced through fissures in the sandstone as molten rock, indicate that sand from eroding mountain ranges had been spread by water and wind over The Guiana shield by 1.8 billion years ago.

The inner earth forces that set south America adrift, between 180 to 70 million years ago helped define the future shapes of the Tepuis, warping of the continental plate created fissures and fractures in the Roraima Group sandstone plateaus. Patterns of erosion followed these weak spots and enlarged them. Tectonic forces within the earth also uplifted blocks of the plateaus helping further separate Tepuis and vary their heights.

20 million years ago to the present, fairly well established in their present day appearance the Tepuys represent today only a fraction of the original sandstone deposits; the bulk washed to the sea. This composite Tepuy displays the typical tearing caused by varying degrees of erosion along ancient fractures, the result of changing climate and geologic conditions that determine the hardness of the sandstone.

This mountain table top group have been isolated for millions of years . Some of them have not yet been explored. Their vegetation , some 50% of the 2000 species that have been described are endemic to this region, and many are only found on only one “Tepuy”. The highly rains combined with the enormous amount of radiation made the plants to evolve and develop unusual mechanisms to survive. The Roraima group is the only place in the world where 100% of the species are native. This is why we must be aware that this is a genetic treasure in order to protect it.

The first tale known of mount Roraima was reported near the year of 1596 by Sir Walter Raleigh on his book the “Discoverie of the large and bewtifull Empire of Guiana, where he writes “ ….gave the impression of a whithe church towre…There falleth ouer it a migthie river wich touched no parte of the side of the mountaine, but …falleth to the grounde with a terrible noyse and clamor , as if 1000 great bells were knockt one against another….but what it hath I knowe not, neyther durst he or any of his men ascende to the toppe of the saide…” Raleigh was interest on this mountain because it was a place mark on the way to “El Dorado"

But it wasn’t until 1838 when the German born Robert Schomburgk confirmed it’s existence and explored the surroundings for the Britain Royal Geographical Society in this same year. He never climbed to the top but his writings inspired other explorers. One of them , Everard Im Thurn , a British botanist , on the 18 of December in the year 1884 finally reached the top. On his lectures back in England Im Thurn described a new world of species and animals never seen by any men before. In one of his lectures the Novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was so fascinated that it is believed that after it he publish a novel in 1912 the famous “ The Lost World”, describing the ascent of a South American plateau by a group of explorers where plants and animals Dinosaur like , have live isolated for million years. In the present more than half of the estimated 10.000 plant species are unique to the Tepuys and new species are still being discovered.

The modern expeditions to mount Roraima begins in the early 1970 with the famous explorer and friend Dr. Charles Brewer Carìas who used helicopters to explore and give names to the most important features on top like; El Foso, The crystal valley, The Hotel, The punto Triple ( Tree borders intersect on the top of the mountain: Brazil, Guiana and Venezuela). He also accompanied and introduced some of the most famous botanist to the mountain like Dr. Julian Steyemark , and David Atenborough. After this expeditions Dr. Charles Brewer published a Book called “Roraima, The crystal Mountain” which is still the most important reference to this mountain.

To the present I have done more than 27 ascents, only to the top of Mount Roraima, and I never stop of being astonished with this Crystal mountain , one of my favourites ones among all the Magical Tepuys. Every time I go, even being in the same spot the mountain is different, specially because it is difficult to be at the same day, same time, hour, and minute of the day…What happens is that the sun light makes the strange shaped surface changing continuously, giving the impression that the place is alive…shapes of the mysterious rocks change every minute… the sensation is like being
on a different planet and that thousand of eyes are looking at you continuously….

There is hundreds of tales about this and other “special places” already discovered in this unknown territories, that for sure I will share as part of my commitment with the GE community. Mount Roraima is special for me, not only for it’s beauty and mystery, but also because is a “must go place mark” for any one on the way to “El Dorado”….For the moment I would like to dedicate this post to one the greatest ecologist of this territories Dr. Volkmar Vareschi, recently deceased, and who loved this mountain as very few people did, and study it during all his life, leaving behind a legacy that for sure will contribute to aware the world about the necessity to preserve and protect this vast territories for the human kind.

Download Landsat 7 image of Mounts Roraima and Kukenam here: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1139538/an/0/page/0/gonew/1#UNREAD

Paints by: Pierre Mion /NSG Cartographic Division
Pictures 1- 5 By: Caterina Balasso
Picture 6 by: Jose Miguel Pèrez G

Edited by Jose_Miguel_Perez_Gomez (08/20/08 05:12 PM)