Table Mountains: natural wonders of the world. Tepui Table Mountains: "The Mysterious Houses of the Gods
The word "Tepui" in the language of the Indian tribe Pemon means "House of the gods." Tepui rise above the green massif of the tropical jungle with majestic inaccessible cliffs, some of them over 2 thousand meters high.
Striking landscapes with mesas are more like amazing scenery for some science fiction film than reality. Most scientists are convinced that Tepui with steep, almost steep slopes and "cut" flat tops - the oldest mountains in the world.
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Building and some history
Table mountains are "fragments" of a spacious mountain plateau, which in ancient times stretched from the Atlantic coast to the borders of the river basins (Spanish Río Amazonas), (Spanish Río Orinoco) and (Spanish Rio Negro). Plateau formed in place ancient lake about 200 million years ago, when Africa and South America were a single continent. The plateau, consisting of sandstone, was placed on a granite base; over the years, as a result of erosion, cut by streams of water, the plateau split into many separate cliffs.
Different layers of sandstone, as a rule, are destroyed at different speeds, as a result of which the rocks have taken on bizarre shapes. So from the durable rocks of the Precambrian sandstone or quartzite, Tepui were formed, scattered across the plateau. Their distinguishing feature is perfectly flat, like a table, tops - hence the name "table mountains". All Tepui are completely isolated from each other and from the vegetation below, because the bases of the mountains are separated from the peaks by a wall of dull stone. In many rocks there are grottoes washed by water, such as Abismo Guy Collet(Spanish: Abismo Guy Collet; depth 671 m) - the deepest cave in South America, as well as huge sinkholes(up to 300 m in diameter) resulting from the collapse of tunnel vaults underground rivers.
An English traveler, a German by origin, Robert Schomburgk (German: Robert Hermann Schomburgk; 1804-1865) visited the area in 1835 on behalf of the London Geographical Society and was fascinated by the mesas. However, the explorer's attempts to climb one of the giants were unsuccessful. Only in December 1884 did the British expedition, led by the anthropologist Everard Im Thurn (eng. Sir Everard im Thurn), manage to climb to the top - Tepui (Spanish Roraima; 2810 m). However, it was the report of that Schomburgk expedition that inspired the English writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write the adventure novel The Lost World.
Fantastic view of Mount Roraima
Climate on Tepui
As in the lowlands that pass into the Guiana Highlands, Tepui has dry and rainy seasons. The climate is significantly affected by altitude, so, at the highest Tepuy, the temperature sometimes drops to 0 ° C. But usually the average temperatures on the flat tops range from +8°C to +20°C, depending on the height above sea level.
Canaima Park
In the southeast of Venezuela, in an area called Gran Sabana (Spanish: La Gran Sabana), is the most extensive nature reserve Venezuela - (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima). The park is considered the oldest natural area on Earth. This amazing lost world has been preserved as it was many million years ago: more than 30 thousand km² of tropical jungle and savannah, separated by majestic mesas.
The national park, which covers most of the Guiana Highlands, was founded in 1962.
The village of Canaima (Spanish: Canaima), located at the northwestern edge of the protected area, on the banks of the picturesque lagoon of the same name (Spanish: Laguna de Canaima), is the base for excursions in the park. There is a small airport near the village, campsites and cottages are equipped in the village itself to accommodate tourists, because most often travelers spend several days in the park.
Here visitors are offered interesting excursions canoeing through the amazing lagoon into which 4 waterfalls flow. Golondrina (Spanish: Salto Golondrina; 50 m) and Ukayma (Spanish: Salto Ucaima; 46 m) can be seen by vacationers by canoeing, and under the waterfalls Acha (Spanish: Salto Hacha; 40 m) and Sapo (Spanish: Salto Sapo; "Zhaba", 20 m) there is a walking path along which you can walk inside the waterfall, between the overflowing water stream and the rock.
In the center of the lagoon rises the island of Anatolia (Spanish Isla Anatoliy). Due to the presence of a significant amount of quartz, the water in the lagoon has a rich brown color, and the sand is pink.
But the most famous waterfall and one of the most spectacular sights of the reserve is the highest in the world (Spanish: Salto Angel; about 1000 m), excursions to which are carried out either by boat or by boat. small aircraft or helicopters. To admire it, streams of tourists flock to these parts from all over the world. The waters of Angel rush from one of the most majestic peaks of the plateau, Auyan-Tepui (Spanish: Auyantepui), from a height of about 1 thousand meters. In the dry season (December-March), when the local rivers become shallow, the waterfall can only be reached by air. Auyan-Tepui is considered the largest of the mesas, and the area of the plateau of its summit is about 700 km².
On the southeastern edge of the park is Roraima (Spanish Roraima; 2810 m), the highest Tepui of the Venezuelan highlands. Its top, an almost perfectly flat plateau of 34 km², is completely covered with lush vegetation, bizarre-shaped stones, caves, lakes and small swamps. The local Indians call Mount Roraima the “Navel of the Earth” and firmly believe that the goddess Queen, the progenitor of the human race, lives on its top.
One of the most beautiful Tepuy, Mount Autana (Spanish Autana), rises above the jungle at 1300 m. Its peculiarity is that the mountain is pierced through and through by a cave, from one end to the other. The Autana plateau is decorated with dark gray rocks of the most bizarre shapes, surrounded by round depressions with water.
Sarisariñama is interesting - Tepui (Spanish: Sarisariñama; 2300 m), known for its perfectly round funnels (about 350 m in diameter) of unknown origin, the bottom of which is covered with unique plants. These mysterious holes on the surface of the earth were discovered relatively recently, in 1974. Such funnels with the purest water at the bottom are found on many Tepui.
A number of other lesser-known but also delightful dining hills can be found in the vast Canaima Park.
Ecological reserve, protecting on its territory truly priceless natural resources, in 1994 was included in the register world heritage UNESCO.
Flora and fauna
65% of the vast territory of the park is occupied by Tepui, which rise above the jungle with rocks of various sizes, standing at a distance from each other. In addition to the majestic mesas, picturesquely hung with seething waterfalls, on the territory of the natural reserve you can see rare representatives of the flora and fauna that are found exclusively in this region. The plateaus of the table mountains are completely isolated from the jungle thickets at the foot, which makes the highlands "ecological islands" on which many endemic representatives of flora and fauna have been preserved, developing for thousands of years in conditions of complete isolation. For example, carnivorous plants that lure insects into their beautiful fragrant traps. The slopes of the mountains, surrounded by fluffy clouds, are covered with exquisite bromeliads (lat. Bromelia; a genus of plants growing in the tropical regions of South America) and delicate orchids.
The peaks of Tepui are covered with a dense carpet of herbs and shrubs. In tropical forests and savannas, over which rocks rise, there are about 9 thousand varieties of plants, among which there are more than 500 species of orchids alone.
The fauna of the reserve park is amazingly rich and diverse, 150 species of mammals live here, including all kinds of monkeys, jaguars, cougars, tapirs, giant otters, ocelots, anteaters, peccaries, giant ants and grasshoppers (up to 15 cm), as well as many small animals . But the community of birds (more than 500 species) that are found in abundance on this fertile land is distinguished by the greatest species diversity: falcons, eagles, toucans, parrots, hummingbirds.
A land full of mysteries
Tepui is actually the only place on the planet where no human foot has set foot. People have visited only some Tepui, most of table mountains are completely unexplored to this day.
Therefore, unusual mountains become a source of legends, beliefs, mystical stories, as well as an inspiration for artists and science fiction writers. The local lands are densely shrouded in a halo of secrets and mysteries, which are told not only by age-old legends, but also by reports of exploratory expeditions. The last official major expedition to these parts, namely to Roraima, was undertaken in 1965 by the son of Juan Angel (Spanish: Juan Pablo Angel Arango), the discoverer famous waterfall named after the Venezuelan pilot.
The expedition diary describes an outlandish world where the flat top of Tepui is covered with bizarre rocks that look like mushrooms, and in addition to the animals known to science, a strange creature was found there, called "Cadborosaurus" (lat. Cadborosaurus willsi). The previously unseen beast had the body of a snake with a series of humps on its back and the head of a horse. Giant ants (more than 5 cm long) were also found, capable of easily biting small branches with their strong teeth; frogs that incubate eggs like birds; insects are bloodsuckers, which were not affected by any, even the most powerful chemical means of protection.
The most significant discovery for scientists was the found remains of ancient animals that recently lived in this area and died, according to some hypotheses, as a result of space alien experiments. Such a bold assumption of scientists was prompted by the expedition members found a large, as if scorched, round area, completely devoid of vegetation and all strewn with silvery powder of unknown origin. Moreover, laboratory studies of the powder showed that it is an alloy of very rare metals, the creation of which under terrestrial conditions is unrealistic.
The researchers found many cave paintings depicting mythical animals and fantastic creatures resembling people in the caves. Also, members of the expedition came across several crypts, inside which an unusually thick fog hung and a sweet smell hovered. Several team members, breathing in an unusual aroma, fell into a coma for several days, and when they came to their senses, they told their comrades about incredible visions and movements to other worlds.
After that incident, it was decided to immediately return back, but a new surprise awaited the researchers: they could not find a way out of the ancient enchanted world, as if some mystical forces prevented this in every possible way.
Only after a few months, the exhausted travelers managed to return home. According to them, some kind of supernatural force intervened again, picking up people and slowly lowering them to the central square of the nearest Indian settlement.
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On the Guiana Plateau of Latin America - in Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, there are rocks with flat peaks, named in the local dialect of the indigenous peoples - Tepui, which means "house of the gods". The Tepui rock formations are composed of sheer blocks of Precambrian quartz sandstone. Separated from the surrounding landscape, hanging in the form of islands 1-3 thousand meters high above, tepui are the owners of endemic flora and fauna. Rare flowers grow on the high plateaus - orchids and, due to rocky soils that are poor in nutrients and unsuitable for other plant species.
At one time, science adhered to the hypothesis that the biodiversity of the rocky hills of South America is relict, which has not passed the stage of mixing of species. However, recent studies by scientists prove that tepui were not as rigidly isolated from the environment as previously thought - for example, the endemic Tepuihyla got to the top of Latin American tepui after the mountain range had formed. In total, there are about 60 flat-topped formations in this region.
The most famous mesas-tepui mountains in South America:
1. Roraima (Mount Roraima, 2810 m), peak area 31 km2. Inspired by Robert Schomburk's report on the rock mass of Latin America, which was presented to the Royal Geographical Society in 1844, Conan Doyle wrote his story "The Lost World" - it was Roraima who became the prototype of the mysterious mountain country inhabited by outlandish prehistoric animals.
Roraima Tepui, South America
2. Auantepui. This table mountain is the owner of the highest waterfall in the world - Angel (979 m), falling into a lake with a depth of 807 m. In the language of the indigenous population - Pemon, the waterfall was called Kerepakupai Vena until recently. The current name is Angel, he received in honor of the American pilot Jimmy Angel, whose monoplane made emergency landing at the top of the plateau in 1937. It took the angel and his three companions 11 days to descend the mountain and return back to the civilized world. Only 33 years later, the legendary aircraft was raised from the top of the mountain, restored in the Aviation Museum and hoisted at the entrance to Ciudad Bolivar Airport.
Auan Tepui, Angel Falls, Venezuela
3. Kukenan or Matavi Tepui (Matawi Tepui), 2680 m), 3 km long. Local population- Pemon Indians, consider the lonely standing table mountain to be the country of the dead, the Kukenan River originates here.
Kukenan Tepui, Venezuela, South America
4. Ptari (Ptari-Tepui, 2700 m). The classic version of the table mountain of South America - with a perfectly cut top and absolutely vertical slopes.
Ptari tepui, Venezuela, Latin America
Carnivorous Heliamphora flower on Ptari Tepui
5. Autana Tepui, 1300 m. This plateau is notable for the fact that a horizontally oriented cave passes through its thickness, penetrating the rock through and through.
Tepui Autana, South America
6. Sarisarinam (Sarisarinama). The study of the mountain plateau began in 1961, when pilot Harry Gibson noticed unique natural holes on its flat top. Vertical cave-wells go deep into the rock - the longest of them has a length of 1.35 km.
Tepui Sarisarinama, Venezuela
Table mountain Tucumcari (Tucumcari Mountain) in Mexico is not much different from the tepui of the Guiana massif - at 1517 meters it rises above the South American savannah. Opened in 1793, the hermit peak caused a lot of controversy on the sidelines of scientists on the subject of age: at first it was assumed that the table mountain was formed during the Jurassic period, then it turned out that the rocky formation was younger and belongs to the Cretaceous period.
Tucumcari, Mexico
Nature has not bypassed Argentina either - there are also lonely mountains with horizontal ends on its territory - the duet of peaks of the Sierra Negra massif is located near the city of Zapala, famous for its coffee plantations. In addition to coffee, this region of South America is rich in precious metal deposits. In the depths of the mountain range there are gold mines, which have recently been run by the Canadian company Goldcorp - according to experts, about 0.5 million ounces of gold per year will be produced at the mine over the next 9 years, in July 2014 the first 100 kg were withdrawn from the stone depths.
Sierra Negra, Argentina
Table mountains of North America
The Canyonlands National Park in Utah, near the city of Moab, is a vivid example of eroded lands with multiple canyons, hills and mesas, between which the Colorado River and the Green River flow. The park is conditionally divided into three zones: Island in the Sky, Needles and Maze, each of which is remarkable in its own way. "Isle in the Sky" is an extended plateau 366 m high, cut by the Colorado River 305 m deep, with the highest point of the White Rim, the Needles Zone is famous for well-preserved clay dwellings and the "stone newspaper" - Newspaper Rock - with petroglyphs carved into the rocks . In the Maze zone is the Barrier Canyon, the most inaccessible part of the plateau, where rock paintings and pictograms of ancient hunter-gatherers dating back to 2000 BC have been found.
Canyon Land, Utah, USA
On the border between Utah and Arizona lies the Monument Valley with solitary flat-topped peaks sometimes reaching 300 meters. The local Navajo Indians call this area, which belongs to the Colorado Plateau, the Valley of the Stones. The terracotta color of the mountains is due to the presence of iron oxide in the rock, and the darker, gray-orange hue of some rocks is due to manganese oxide. In the 1950s, uranium, vanadium and copper were mined in Monument Valley.
Monument Valley, Utah, USA
In the state of Colorado, on the green plateau of Mesa Verde, there is a national park - this is the country of Montezuma - ancient city, built by the Pueblo people (Anasazi Indians) many centuries ago. Over 600 rock dwellings were erected from 400 to 1200 AD. at the foot of the emerald table mountains and in their thickness, but after a 25-year drought, people were forced to leave their inhabited place.
City of Montezuma, Mesa Verde, Colorado, USA
Glass Mountains or Gloss Hills - mesas in the western region of Oklahoma (USA), rise above ground level from 46 to 61 meters. The array of hills with flat tops got its name back in 1820 from the first explorers of America due to sparkling inclusions of selenite.
Table Mountains Glass, Oklahoma, USA
In Oklahoma, on the Great Plains, there is another similar natural formation - the Black Mesa Plateau (Black Mesa, 1516 m) with a length of 270 km - on the top of this table mountain, native Indians have been setting up their camps for centuries.
Black Mesa, Oklahoma, USA
Over the coast of Cuba, in the province of Guantanamo, hangs the high plateau of El Yunque (El Yunque, 575 m), resembling a blacksmith's table in outline - this feature of the mountain served as the impetus for choosing its name: "yunque" is translated from Spanish as an anvil.
El Yunque, Cuba
Table mountains in Africa
Mountain fortress or Amba - the so-called table mountains in Africa - rocky plateaus in northern Ethiopia, composed of sandstone. There are three ambas in the Amhara region at once: Amba Geshen or Amara, Wehni and Debre Damo. The Amba Mountains are known as a place of imprisonment for brothers and male relatives of the king of Ethiopia, including sons. The unfortunate fell into a high-altitude dungeon immediately after the coronation of the heir to the throne and left it only after his death. When the sad tradition was annulled, in a remote mountainous area - in temples on the tops of rocks, they kept the treasures of the royal dynasty. Mount Geshen is famous for its Orthodox Church Lalibela in the form of a cross carved into the rock, and the table mountain Debre Damo (2216 m) is a Christian monastery of the 6th century.
Table mountain in Africa Debre Damo, Ethiopia
Orthodox monastery Lalibela on the table mountain Geshen, Ethiopia, Africa
African mesas in northern Ethiopia
On the territory of Ethiopia, many rocks with vertical slopes and a flat top are scattered: Amba Aradam (2756 m), Amba Alagi (3438 m), Kundudo (3000 m). In 2008, a lost stalagmite cave with ancient rock paintings was discovered on Mount Kundudo. Here is the habitat of the only population of wild horses preserved in the world.
Ammonites on Kundudo Mesa, Ethiopia
Coral stalagmites in a cave on Mount Kundudo, Ethiopia, Africa
The most famous African plateau in the world is the Table Mountain (1084 m) of Cape Town (South Africa) with a length of 3 km. It is also the symbol of the city, featured on its flag. A striking feature of the African mountain plateau - orographic clouds, almost constantly enveloping its top, form, as it were, a tablecloth on a flat tabletop. Local natives attribute unusual cloudiness to the devil lighting his pipe in the company of the pirate Van Hunky - this is ancient legend associated with Table Mountain. The age of the South African Table Mountain, built of hard gray quartz sandstone, is about 500 million years. The 2,200 species of plants growing on the high plateau are endemic and found nowhere else in the world. The symbol of the country of South Africa is, the unique species of which are presented in the Table Mountain National Park.
On the territory of Namibia, there are also several well-known rocky hills with a cut end: Etjo (500 m) with a length of 10 km, Grutberg (1840 m), Waterberg and Gamsberg. The table mountains of Namibia received their strange names in the Aryan way from the first German explorers.
Table Mountain Etjo, Namibia, Africa
Table mountain Gamsberg, Africa
Table Mountain Waterberg, Africa
Table mountains of Western Europe
An unusually beautiful rocky formation with a flat end in Ireland (County Sligo) - table mountain Ben Bulbin - is part of the array of green Darty mountains. The name comes from the Irish word Binn, which means "peak", and Ghulbain, "jaw". Table mountain Ben Balben was formed about 320 million years ago due to the movement of ice from the northeast to the southwest of the island, during the Ice Age. Once upon a time, a high-altitude plateau was under the thickness of an ancient sea, as evidenced by fossilized marine organisms - shells and found by scientists in all layers of the rock. Ben Bulben is composed mainly of limestone and mudstone, a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of petrified mud and clay.
Table Mountain Ben Bulben, Ireland, Europe
Table mountain Monte Santo (Monte Santo, 733 m), adjacent to the flat-topped rock of San Antonio in the Siligo region, is a landmark of the island of Sardinia (Italy).
Table mountain Monte Santo Sardinia island, Italy
Australian table mountains
Terracotta rock Uluru (Ayers Rock, 348 m) is considered the "heart". Aborigines of the Anangu tribe settled in this area 10 thousand years ago, after a spring was discovered, beating directly from the top of a stone hill. Sacred to the natives, the table mountain of Uluru is shrouded in an ominous haze - it is believed that it brings bad luck to those who try to climb it or take a piece of stone with them.
northern mesas
In the northern latitudes, dining or table-top mountains have their own name - thuya (tuya). Tui are rock formations with a flat top, formed as a result of a volcanic eruption under the ice, as a result of which the lava came to the surface and transformed into solid basaltic rocks after cooling.
Thuja Brown Bluff, about a million years old and about 1.5 km long, is located on the northern tip of Antarctica. Red-brown tuff at the foot of the table mountain smoothly turns into an ash-gray top, cut by erosion. Brown Bluff is a World Bird Sanctuary, home to an extensive bird colony of 20,000 pairs of Adélie penguins and 550 pairs of gentoos penguins.
Table Mountain Brown Bluff, Antarctica
On the territory of Canada, mainly in British Columbia, there are whole groups of high mountain plateaus. One of them is the 2021-meter table mountain Table Mountain, standing in the middle of Lake Garibaldi.
Dining room mountain Table, Canada
In the northern regions of the United States, you can find mesas-tuyas, formed on the site of stratovolcanoes and as a result of the descent of glaciers. In Oregon, there is the Hayrick Butte Plateau (1683 m) - this is a type of subglacial volcano with absolutely vertical slopes. At a distance of 3 km from it is another thuja volcano - Hogg Rock (Hogg Rock, 1548 m). Unlike other table formations, Hogg Rock has one gentle slope, along which a road is laid to the top of the plateau.
Table Mountain Hayrick Butte in Oregon, USA
Diomede Islands in the Coastal Strait
The unusual Diomedes Islands, the smaller of which belongs to the United States, and the larger to Russia, are subglacial dormant thuja volcanoes in Bering Strait with a flat top. At times cold war between the USSR and the USA Diomedes, between which passes state border, bore the symbolic name of the "ice curtain".
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Do you know what's in the photo? Do you think this is some kind of painted place from a science fiction movie? And here it is not. Now I will tell you.
It turns out that really lost worlds remained on the planet, where no human has set foot.
In the southeastern part of Venezuela is one of the most amazing places on our planet. Surrounded by savannahs and jungles, an isolated area with unique fauna and flora is reliably hidden from the eyes of people. This territory is known under the name "Tepui", which received from the Indian tribe of the same name, who once lived in these places.
Tepui or tepui (tipui) are mesas located in the Guiana Highlands in South America, mostly in Venezuela.
The word "tepui" in the language of the Pemon Indians, who inhabit the area of Gran Sabana, means "house of the gods." Tepui are for the most part isolated from each other, towering above the jungle with hard-to-reach cliffs, which makes them carriers of a unique set of endemic plants and animals.
Scientists say that these mountains, consisting of hard sandstone, with steep, almost sheer slopes and flat, truncated peaks, are the oldest in the world. They were formed as a result of the destruction of a huge plateau, in prehistoric times, stretching from the coast Atlantic Ocean to the borders of the Orinoco, Amazon and Rio Negro river basins. Back in the days when Africa and South America were one, about 200 million years ago, this plateau arose on the site of a giant lake. 
The plateau consisted of sandstone and was located on a granite base; over time, erosion turned the plateau into several monadnoks, from which tepui were formed, covered with erosion-resistant rocks.
Similar sinkholes are found on several tepui, they were formed after the rains washed out the vaults of sandstone caves.
The deepest is Abismo Guy Collet Cave, 671 m deep.
By the way, the analysis of water that accumulates in natural lakes on tepui is of excellent quality. As a rule, tepui are composed of a single block of Precambrian sandstone or quartzite, which soars dramatically above the surrounding jungle to altitudes of over 2000 m. Many tepui contain water-washed caves, such as the cave Abismo Guy Collet(Eng. Abismo Guy Collet) with a depth of 671 m, as well as karst funnels with a diameter of up to 300 m, formed during the collapse of the arches of tunnels of underground rivers.
German explorer Robert Schomburgk visited the area in 1835. He was struck by mesas, but attempts to climb one of them were unsuccessful. It wasn't until almost half a century later, in 1884, that a British expedition led by Everard Im Turn managed to climb to the top of Mount Roraima.
However, it was the report of the expedition of Robert Schomburgk to the tepui region that inspired the writer Arthur Conan Doyle to write the novel The Lost World about the discovery of a plateau inhabited by prehistoric species of animals and plants. In 1912, the writer read reports about the mountains discovered in South America and was so impressed that he sat down to write a new novel. The plateau described in the book, lost in the jungle, really has much in common with Tepui.
Many tepui contain karst sinkholes up to 300 m in diameter, formed by the collapse of underground river tunnels, as well as water-washed caves, such as the 671 m deep Abismo Guy Collet cave.
Auyantepui is considered the largest of the tepui, and its area is about 700 square meters. km! It is on this plateau that Angel Falls, which is the highest waterfall in the world. Angel originates on Mount Auyan and falls into the abyss from a height of 979 meters, and the height of a continuous fall is as much as 807 meters! This waterfall is twice the height of the Empire State Building and three times the Eiffel Tower!
The high fall height - 979 meters - leads to the fact that, before reaching the surface of the earth, the water crumbles into tiny splashes and turns into a thick fog that envelops the surrounding area.
One of the most beautiful tepui - Autana - rises 1300 meters above the forest and rocks. It is special in that it is permeated through with a cave that goes from one end to the other. The Autana plateau is decorated with dark gray rocks of the most bizarre shapes, and the funnels surrounding them are filled with the purest water.
The plateau of the mountains is completely isolated from the forest at the foot, which makes them "ecological islands" on which endemic species of flora and fauna have been preserved, developing in isolation for thousands of years.
Another well-known tepuya is Mount Sarisarinyama, on which there are many perfectly round funnels with a depth and diameter of several hundred meters. At the bottom of these funnels grow unique plants that are not found anywhere else in the world!
Funnels with crystal clear water are found everywhere on many tepui.
Clickable, Abismo-Guy-Collet Abismo Guy Collet
Different layers of sandstone are destroyed at different speeds, so thousands of bizarre rocks have formed on the plateau. 
Tepui is best known for its bizarre rocks, which rise up to a height of 1.5-2 km and have absolutely flat tops. The researchers found that previously all these rocks were one single mountain plateau. However, over time, erosion destroyed its integrity, and instead of a plateau, several rocks of a bizarre shape appeared at once.
For example, each peak of the mountain is really unique in its own way, as a wide variety of plant species grow on it, preserved even from prehistoric times. This became possible only due to the isolation of each mountain from each other. Most of the rocks stand at a decent distance from each other, towering above the green canvas of the jungle.
The highest tepui are Piso de Neblina (3,014 meters), Pico Phelps (2,992 meters), Roraima (2,810 meters) and Cerro Marahuaca (2,800 meters).
Some tepui are well researched, while others have never been set foot by a human! Tepui is still little explored and is of great interest to scientists.
In general, this area is not only incredibly beautiful, but also very isolated and remote. Getting to tepui is not so easy, as you have to overcome hundreds of kilometers through the virgin forests of South America. In addition, on tepui without special climbing equipment just don't get up!
Roraima is the tallest tepui in Venezuela. Its height is 2810 meters, and the top - a plateau with an area of 34 km² - is completely covered with dense vegetation, bizarre stones, steep depressions, caves, small lakes and swamps. Local Indians call Mount Roraima “the navel of the earth” and believe that the progenitor of the human race, the goddess Queen, lives on its top.
These three, as well as many other lesser known but no less beautiful tepui, are located in canaima national park, lying in the southeastern part of Venezuela, at the junction of Brazil and Guyana. The reserve, which stores priceless natural resources on its territory, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The nature of the Canaima National Park is extremely diverse and unique. In addition to majestic mesas hung with beautiful waterfalls, in the park you can see rare species of flora and fauna that are found exclusively in this area. For example, carnivorous plants that lure insects into their beautiful fragrant traps and eat them. The foothills and slopes of the mountains are surrounded by cloud-covered forests, in which exquisite bromeliads and orchids stand out as bright spots.
On the tops of the tepui, herbs and shrubs grow luxuriantly. The fauna of the Venezuelan park is no less rich - there are monkeys of various sizes and species, jaguars, giant ants and many small animals. But the world of birds, which in large quantities living in this rich land.
The largest natural reserve in Venezuela, the Canaima National Park, was founded in 1962 and is considered the oldest part of the Earth, whose age exceeds 2 million years. This lost world, as if accidentally preserved as it was many millions of years ago, is visited daily by thousands of tourists.
In the Canaima National Park, vacationers are offered exciting canoe excursions along the lagoon, into which four waterfalls flow. Two of them - Golondrina and Ukaima - can be seen by canoeing, and under the other two - Acha and Sapo - there is a path along which you can walk inside the waterfall between the raging stream of water and the rock:
You can go to one of the most spectacular sights of the park - Angel Falls, excursions to which are carried out either by boat or by plane. If you go on a boat tour, along the way you can see picturesque island Orchids.
Those wishing to get to know the life of the natives of these lands better can go to the northern part of Canaima, where the settlement of the Pemon Indians is located. It provides a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in an unknown culture, communicate with the natives, get acquainted with their rituals, traditions, legends and way of life, which has been preserved since ancient times.
Among other things, this area is shrouded in a halo of secrets and mysteries, which are told not only by ancient legends and myths, but also by the reports of several expeditions organized by brave explorers. The last major official expedition to these hard-to-reach places, namely Mount Roraima, was formed in 1965 by the son of the famous Juan Angel, the discoverer of the world's highest waterfall.
The expedition diary describes wonderful world, in which the flat surface of the mountain top is covered with bizarre hills shaped like mushrooms, unusual depressions filled with water are scattered everywhere, and in addition to animals already known to science, an unusual creature was discovered, which was called Cadborosaurus. The previously unseen beast had the head of a horse and the body of a snake with humps on its back. Frogs hatching eggs, bloodsucking insects, which were not affected by any chemical means of protection, giant ants more than 5 cm long, capable of biting small tree branches with their steel teeth, were also found here.
The biggest discovery for scientists was the discovery of the remains of ancient animals that until recently lived in these places. There is an assumption that they died as a result of experiments by aliens. Scientists were led to such a guess by a large round area discovered by the expedition, devoid of vegetation and completely strewn with silvery powder of unknown origin. Later, laboratory studies showed that this is an alloy of the rarest metals, which is simply unrealistic to create under earthly conditions.
When examining the caves, the researchers found a large number of rock paintings depicting fantastic animals and creatures that are remotely similar to people. The expedition members also discovered several crypts, inside of which there was a thick fog and a sweet smell hovered. Some team members, having inhaled this strange aroma, fell into a coma for several days, and when they woke up, they told their colleagues about incredible visions and travels to other worlds.
After this incident, it was decided to return back, but then a new surprise awaited the travelers: they could not find a way out of this enchanted world, as if some mysterious forces prevented this in every possible way.
Only a few months later, exhausted by the search for a way out, people managed to return home. They claim that some unknown force helped them, which picked them up and slowly lowered them to the central square of one of the Indian settlements.
When the scientists finally got to civilization, it turned out that the families had long since lost hope of their return: after all, the expedition, which, according to the plan, was supposed to return after several months of work, had been absent for four years.
Long time in this region expeditions were not organized, but today this lost world, which previously instilled fear in people, is visited daily by several dozen adventurers. Only for safety reasons it is advisable to make the ascent accompanied by an experienced guide.
Here is an artistic representation of these places:
table mountain- a mountain with a flat top, which is located on south coast Table Bay southwest of Cape Town (South Africa). The silhouette of the mountain is depicted on the flag of Cape Town and other state insignia. Table Mountain is a famous tourist attraction. You can climb to its top on foot or by cable car. The mountain is part of the Table Mountain National Park.
Peculiarities
The main feature of Table Mountain is its 3-kilometer plateau, framed by impressive cliffs. Near Table Mountain are the Devil's and Lion's Head Peaks, which offer stunning views of Cape Town. The most high point mountains - a stone pyramid, which was built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclea for trigonometric studies. Its height is 1086 m (3563 ft) above sea level, which is 19 m higher than the height of the cable station, which is installed in the western part of the plateau.
You can climb to the top through the Platteklip gorge (“flat stone gorge”). The first recorded ascent of the mountain was made by António de Saldanha in 1503.
The flat tops of the mountains are often covered with orographic clouds, which are formed under the action of the southeast wind. The legend connects this phenomenon with a smoking contest that takes place between the devil and a local pirate named Van Hunks. When the mountain is covered with clouds, it means that the competition continues.
Table Mountain is located in the northern part of the mountain range that forms the cape of the peninsula. IN south side from the main plateau is the lower part of the hill, which is called "the Back Table". On the Atlantic coast of the peninsula is the peak of the Twelve Apostles. The ridge extends into southbound to the Cape of Good Hope.
Geology
The upper part of Table Mountain is composed of Ordovician quartz sandstones. It has steep slopes. Beneath the sandstone is a layer of mica basal schists. The base of the mountain is composed of folded and altered phyllites and hornfelses, informally referred to as the Malmesbury Shale. The rocks were formed in the Precambrian period. They are less resistant to weathering than sandstones. Granite deposits are visible on the western part of Lion's Head Peak.
Flora
The flora of Table Mountain is characterized by high biodiversity. The most common types of vegetation are several types of Fynbos ("thin bush"). Some of them are endangered.
The flora of Table Mountain is part of the Cape Floral Region, which is under protection. This area is a World Heritage Site. The vegetation of Table Mountain consists of 2.2 thousand species. Many of these species are endemic.
Forests are distributed mainly in more humid gorges. In the open and dry areas of the mountainous territory, various types of shrubs dominate.
Balance flora was disturbed by the invasion of alien plants. For a whole century, much effort has been made to combat their spread.
Fauna
The mountain rat (the dassie or rock hyrax) is the most common species on the mountain. Representatives of this species are grouped in the area of the upper cable station, where they are often fed by tourists. Also here you can meet porcupines, mongooses, snakes and turtles. In 1802, the last lion was shot on the mountain. Back in the 20s of the last century, leopards lived here. On Table Mountain, one could often meet caracal and African wild cat. Today, in rare cases, climbers still manage to find a caracal, but the status of an African cat remains uncertain.
Himalayan goats, the descendants of goats who escaped from the Groote Shure Zoo in 1936, lived on the less accessible upper part of the mountain until recently. How exotic look they have been virtually extirpated by a program initiated by the South African National Parks, which was aimed at the reproduction of indigenous African antelopes (klipspringers). European fallow deer and deer from Southeast Asia also lived here. They were mainly distributed around the Rhodes Memorial, but in the 1960s they could also be found near Signal Hill. Now these species have been relocated to another area.
Story
This area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. About 2 thousand years ago, the Khoikho migrated from the north towards the cape of the peninsula, displacing the San tribe. They brought with them their herds of cattle and sheep. Khoi-Khoi inhabited almost the entire territory when Europeans first sailed to Table Mountain Bay.
The first European to land in Table Mountain Bay was Antonio de Saldanha. He climbed the mountain in 1503 and named it "Taboa do Cabo", which means "table cape" in Portuguese. Even now you can still see the big cross, which Portuguese navigator carved on the rock of Cape Lvinaya Head.
In 1976, during the occupation, Major General Sir James Craig ordered the construction of three roadblocks on Table Mountain: the Royal Roadblock, the Duke of York Roadblock and the Prince of Wales Roadblock. To date, two of them are already in ruins, and the royal outpost is still in good condition.
In the period 1896-1907, five dams were opened on the Back Table to provide the people of Cape Town with water. With the help of the cable car, which ascended from Camps Bay through the Kasteelspoort ravine, building materials and labor were lifted. The steam locomotive that was in use at the time is well preserved and is now in the Waterworks Museum, which is located in the northern part of Table Mountain. It was used to transport materials during the construction of the dam. Today, dams are no longer an important part of the Cape Town's water supply.
In 1990, the mountain became part of the national park. In 1998, the park was renamed Table Mountain National Park.
Unfortunately, fires often occur on the mountain. A fire in 2006 destroyed a large amount of vegetation and led to the death of several tourists. The Briton, who was suspected of arson, was charged with arson and premeditated murder.
In November 2011, Table Mountain was tentatively named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
cable car
The Table Mountain cable car takes passengers from the Tafelberg Road lower station, which is located at an altitude of 302 m above sea level, to the top of the mountain. The top station offers views of Cape Town, Table Bay, the Robben Islands and the Atlantic coast.
The construction of the cable car began in 1926, and already in 1929 the lift was officially opened. In 1997 the cable car was modernized. New cars were put into operation that could carry 65 passengers, instead of 25, as it was before. Newer cars climb much faster. They can rotate 360 degrees during ascent or descent, providing passengers with stunning panoramic views of the city. The upper station is home to antique shops, restaurants and hiking trails.
Entertainment
Hiking
Hiking is very popular with both locals and tourists. Several routes of varying difficulty were laid on the mountain. Because of the steep cliffs, it is impossible to climb the mountain from the side of the city. The easiest and most popular route is through the Plateklip Gorge. On average, the ascent lasts 2.5 hours. Depending on physical fitness, climbing to the top can take from 1 to 3 hours.
Longer routes pass through Bek Table. From the southern suburbs, there are trails through the Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge that start at the National botanical garden Kirstenbosch. The path that leads through Skeleton Gorge to Maclears Beacon, known as the Smuts Track. It was named after Jan Smuts, who was very fond of traveling.
From the Atlantic coast there are routes that are popular among hikers.
The Hoerikwaggo Trails are four hiking trails, along which you can climb Table Mountain. The journey can last from two to six days. These routes are under the protection of South African National Parks. The indigenous people call Horikvaggo "sea mountain" ("sea mountain").
Mountaineering
Table Mountain is one of the favorite places for climbers. There are many routes of varying difficulty here. The main ascent passes along the rock, on top of which there is a cable station. Climbing in this place is possible only in the traditional way, without using bolts. You can also descend from the upper cable station.
caves
Most of the caves are formed in limestone. Table Mountain, which is formed from sandstones, also has a cave system. The largest of them is the Wynberg Caves, which are located in Bek Table.
Constellation "Mensah"
A constellation in the southern hemisphere of the sky is named after Table Mountain. It can be observed in mid-July around midnight, below Orion. The constellation was named by astronomer Nicolas de Lacaille in the middle of the 18th century, during his stay on the mountain.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain
translation by Tatyana Gorban
table mountains mountains with flat tops and more or less steep, sometimes stepped slopes. The flat surface of this year is usually composed of hard and fracture-resistant rocks that form an orogenic layer. Vast territories, the relief of which is determined by the predominance of this year, are called table countries (for example, the Turgai Plateau and Ustyurt in the USSR, the Karru Plateau in South Africa).
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .
See what "Table Mountains" is in other dictionaries:
Isolated uplands formed during the dismemberment of a highly elevated stratal plain or plateau; have steep slopes and flat tops, armored with erosion-resistant rocks ...
Isolated uplands formed during the dismemberment of a highly elevated stratal plain or plateau; have steep slopes and flat tops, armored with erosion-resistant rocks. * * * MESA MOUNTAINS,… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Isolated uplands formed during the dismemberment of a highly elevated stratal plain or plateau; have steep slopes and flat tops, armored to resist forge erosion. breeds... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary
Dining countries- (tableland) Tableland, plateau or any other relatively elevated areas of the earth's surface with a flat relief. On their periphery, where S. c. strongly dissected, often formed insular mesas ... Countries of the world. Dictionary
See Denudation Mountains. Geological dictionary: in 2 volumes. M.: Nedra. Edited by K. N. Paffengolts et al. 1978 ... Geological Encyclopedia
Tauride Mountains, in the south of the Crimean peninsula. The length is about 150 km, the width is up to 50 km. Composed of shale, sandstone, limestone. They consist of 3 ridges: the Southern, or Main, ridge (Yaila), which is a table limestone massifs ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
In Yuzh. Africa; SOUTH AFRICA. In the language of one of the local tribes, these are the Kwathlamba mountains, a rocky place, a heap of rocks. The Boers called them the Drakensberg Dragon Mountains because of their inaccessibility and wildness. Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. M:… … Geographic Encyclopedia
- (Tauride Mountains) in the south of the Crimean Peninsula. Length approx. 150 km, width up to 50 km. Composed of shale, sandstone, limestone. They consist of 3 ridges: the Southern, or Main, ridge (Yaila), representing table limestone massifs (height up to ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Modern Encyclopedia
dragon mountains- DRAKONOVY MOUNTAINS, in the southeast of Africa, mainly in South Africa, part of the Great Escarpment. Height up to 3482 m (Mount Thabana Ntlenyana). Table tops and steeply sloping stepped plateaus are characteristic. Serve as a watershed between short rivers pool… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
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