Table-top Tepui - Vol 4 Sneak Peek

Ross Clifton explores South America’s table-top mountains, uncovering their unique features and exploring why they are deserving of conservation efforts.

Article by: Ross Clifton

Illustration by: Nathalie Dickson

There are few places on the planet as inaccessible and mysterious as the table-top mountains of South America, known as the Tepuis.

Rising steeply from the surrounding grassland of the Guiana Highlands, these imposing geological wonders have long inspired a sense of wonder in those fortunate enough to have witnessed them.

The mountains are remnants of an ancient sandstone layer which formed hundreds of millions of years ago during the Pre-Cambrian era.

The region was once covered by an ocean, where sand and silt which sank to the bottom was lithified, forming solid rock.

Then, the formidable power of plate tectonics caused this vast layer of stone to be raised above the ocean surface where, over a vast amount of time, the erosive forces of wind, rain and river systems wore away the softer rock between the mountains to reveal what we see today, the sheer cliffs and flat tops of the Tepuis.

For the indigenous people of the Guiana Highlands, the Pemon people, there are deep-rooted and spiritual connections with the Tepuis. In fact, the word Tepui comes from the Pemon language and roughly translates to “House of the Gods.”

The Pemon people believe that the tops of the mountains are off-limits to the living, but reserved for the spirits of the dead, the Mewari.

Interestingly, it was only relatively recently that Christian missionaries of various denominations began to evangelise in the region, with the first Capuchin mission post being established in 1931.

In the last century or so, there has been some Christian influence on the traditions of the Pemon people, but their historical belief system has largely persisted with many modern individuals maintaining a connection with their ancestral culture. For a great deal of people, the Tepuis still hold immense cultural significance.

For most of the Tepuis, the top of the mountain is incredibly isolated. The sheer cliffs on all sides make accessing it impossible for any species without wings (unless they have access to helicopters or climbing equipment!).

The mountain tops also experience a completely different climate to the surrounding forest and grassland, with much lower average temperatures and higher rainfall, as moisture is squeezed out of the cooling air as it is pushed up from the base of the cliffs.

The inaccessible nature of the Tepuis has affected the communities of species which exist at the top of the mountains in a similar way to those living on islands.

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