The Chimantá Massif is a
highly fragmented complex of
tepuis in
Bolívar state,
Venezuela. The
massif 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 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
Canaima National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Canaima) is a park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guyana.
History
Ca ...
.
[ Torres, I.N. & D.D. Martín (November 2007). Mejorando Nuestra Herencia.] It hosts extensive
cave systems, including the world's largest known
quartzite cave,
Cueva Charles Brewer
Cuevas or Cueva (Spanish for "''cave(s)''") may refer to:
Places
* Cueva de Ágreda, a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain
* Cuevas Bajas, a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonom ...
, named after discoverer
Charles Brewer-Carías
Charles Brewer-Carías (born 10 September 1938 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan explorer and naturalist. Known as the " Humboldt of the twentieth century", Brewer-Carías has led more than 200 expeditions to remote parts of the Venezuelan ...
. The processes behind their
speleogenesis are the subject of some debate.
The isolated southern peaks of
Angasima-tepui and
Upuigma-tepui
Upuigma-tepui, also known as El Castillo, is a tepui in Bolívar state, Venezuela.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. ...
are sometimes considered part of the Chimantá Massif.
. 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 Al ...
''.
Northern group
An additional plateau, Sarvén-tepui, may be distinguished to the east of Chimantá-tepui ().
Southern group
See also
* ''''
* Distribution of ''Heliamphora''
* ''Heliamphora'' sp. 'Akopán Tepui'
References
Further reading
* Barrio-Amorós, C.L., J. Mesa, C. Brewer-Carías & R.W. McDiarmid (25 May 2010)
A new ''Pristimantis'' (Anura, Terrarana, Strabomantidae) from Churi-tepui in the Chimanta Massif, Venezuelan Guayana.
''Zootaxa'' 2483: 35–44.
* Delascio-Chitty, F. & C. Brewer–Carías (February 2006). Notas florísticas del Churi–tepuy, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela. loristic notes of the Churí-tepuy, State of Bolívar, Venezuela.In
''I Congreso Internacional de Biodiversidad del Escudo Guayanés: Programa y Libro de Resúmenes''.
Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana, Puerto Ordaz. p. 141.
* Derka, T. & P. Fedor (21 October 2010)
''Hydrolutos breweri'' sp. n., a new aquatic Lutosini species (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) from Churí-tepui (Chimantá Massif, Venezuela).
''Zootaxa'' 2653: 51–59.
* Jaffe, K., J. Lattke & R. Perez-Hernández (January–June 1993)
Ants on the tepuies of the Guiana Shield: a zoogeographic study.
''Ecotropicos'' 6(1): 21–28.
* Huber, O. (ed.) (1992). ''El Macizo del Chimantá, Escudo de Guayana, Venezuela. Un ensayo ecológico tepuyano''. Oscar Todtmann Editores, Caracas.
* Kodada, J., T. Derka & F. Čiampor, Jr. (6 March 2012)
Description of ''Jolyelmis spangleri'' a new species from Churí-tepui (Chimantá Massif, Venezuela), with a description of the larva of ''J. spangleri'' and ''J. reitmaieri'' (Insecta: Coleoptera: Elmidae).
''Zootaxa'' 3223: 1–23.
* Kok, P.J.R., R.D. MacCulloch, D.B. Means, K. Roelants, I. Van Bocxlaer & F. Bossuyt (7 August 2012). ''Current Biology'' 22(15): R589–R590.
* La Cruz, L. (February–April 2010)
Iván Calderon y su mundo vertical
''Río Verde'' 1: 98–115.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chimanta Massif
Tepuis of Venezuela
Mountains of Venezuela
Climbing areas of Venezuela