November 2, 2024

Ecological Islands: Exploring the Alien Worlds of Venezuela’s Sky-High Tepuis

Picture of the lavish, dynamic landscape of southeastern Venezuela captured on January 4, 2024, by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.In the nations southeast, towering table-top mountains understood as tepuis host unique species of plants and fauna.This picture, taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), captures the rich, dynamic landscape of southeastern Venezuela. The Caroní and Carrao rivers circulation west of the massif, converging near Canaima and eventually joining the Orinoco River.Located within the Guiana Highlands, the table-top mountains– understood as tepuis– have high vertical cliffsides that rise up to 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). The tepuis contain some of the earliest geologic developments on Earth, with ages approximated at more than 1.7 billion years old, making them older than the Himalayan and Appalachian mountains combined.The little town of Canaima appears as a little, light-toned patch at the leading left of the image.

Photo of the lavish, dynamic landscape of southeastern Venezuela captured on January 4, 2024, by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.In the countrys southeast, towering table-top mountains known as tepuis host distinct species of plants and fauna.This photograph, taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), catches the lavish, dynamic landscape of southeastern Venezuela. The Caroní and Carrao rivers circulation west of the massif, assembling near Canaima and eventually signing up with the Orinoco River.Located within the Guiana Highlands, the table-top mountains– known as tepuis– have high vertical cliffsides that rise up to 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). The tepuis contain some of the earliest geologic formations on Earth, with ages approximated at more than 1.7 billion years old, making them older than the Himalayan and Appalachian mountains combined.The little town of Canaima appears as a small, light-toned spot at the top left of the image.