Sima Martel
Encyclopedia
Sima Martel is an enormous sinkhole
located on the summit of plateau of Sarisariñama
tepui
, in Bolívar State, Venezuela
. It is unusual due to several factors including its enormous size and depth, location on the top of the only forested tepui and having a patch of forest on its base and also due to the rare quartzite
weathering process forming this sinkhole. Named after speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel
.
it was first spotted in 1961 by pilot Harry Gibson .
It was first descended and explored during the 1970s.
In total there are four quartzite caves on Sarisariñama.
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
located on the summit of plateau of Sarisariñama
Sarisariñama
The Sarisariñama tepui is a mountain in the Jaua-Sarisariñama National Park at the far south-west of Bolívar State, Venezuela, near the border with Brazil. Altitude: 300 - 2,350 metres. The name of the mountain originates from the tale of local Ye'kuana Indians about an evil spirit living in caves...
tepui
Tepui
A tepui , or tepuy, is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana....
, in Bolívar State, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It is unusual due to several factors including its enormous size and depth, location on the top of the only forested tepui and having a patch of forest on its base and also due to the rare quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
weathering process forming this sinkhole. Named after speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel
Édouard-Alfred Martel
, the 'father of modern speleology', was a world pioneer of cave exploration, study, and documentation...
.
History
Together with the neighbouring Sima HumboldtSima Humboldt
Sima Humboldt is an enormous sinkhole located on the summit of the plateau of Sarisariñama tepui in Bolívar State, Venezuela. It is unusual for several reasons, including its enormous size and depth, its location on the top of the only forested tepui, having a patch of forest on its base and also...
it was first spotted in 1961 by pilot Harry Gibson .
It was first descended and explored during the 1970s.
In total there are four quartzite caves on Sarisariñama.