tepui
A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. The
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
comprises around 11 tepuis and has a total summit area of and an estimated slope area of .Huber, O. (1995). Geographical and physical features. In: P.E. Berry, B.K. Holst & K. Yatskievych (eds.) '' Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Volume 1. Introduction.'' Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. pp. 1–61. It is divided in two by the Río Tírica, with the northern section being both larger and higher. The massif is notable for its high
species richness
Species richness is the number of different species represented in an ecological community, landscape or region. Species richness is simply a count of species, and it does not take into account the abundances of the species or their relative ab ...
and for its varied habitat types. It reaches an elevation of Nogué, S., V. Rull, E. Montoya, O. Huber & T. Vegas-Vilarrúbia (October 2009). Paleoecology of the Guayana Highlands (northern South America): Holocene pollen record from the Eruoda-tepui, in the Chimantá massif. ''Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology'' 281(1–2): 165–173. on its highest peak, Murey-tepui (also known as Eruoda-tepui). The massif is situated entirely within the bounds of Canaima National Park. Torres, I.N. & D.D. Martín (November 2007). Mejorando Nuestra Herencia. It hosts extensive
cave system
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea c ...
s, including the world's largest known
quartzite
Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...
speleogenesis Speleogenesis is the origin and development of caves, the primary process that determines essential features of the hydrogeology of karst and guides its evolution. It often deals with the development of caves through limestone, caused by the presenc ...
are the subject of some debate.
The isolated southern peaks of
Angasima-tepui
Angasima-tepui, also known as Adanta, Adankasima or Adankachimö,Adankasima . ClimTepuyes. is a
Upuigma-tepui are sometimes considered part of the Chimantá Massif.Adankasima . ClimTepuyes.
Tepuis
The major tepuis of the northern and southern parts of the Chimantá Massif are listed below. Coordinates given correspond to the approximate centre points of the tepui summit plateaus. Unless otherwise indicated, all information in the tables is sourced from ''
Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana
''Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana'' is a multivolume flora describing the vascular plants of the Guayana Region of Venezuela, encompassing the three states south of the Orinoco: Amazonas, Bolívar, and Delta Amacuro. Initiated by Julian Alfred ...
''.
Northern group
An additional plateau, Sarvén-tepui, may be distinguished to the east of Chimantá-tepui ().