{"id":2786,"date":"2015-09-18T23:47:08","date_gmt":"2015-09-18T15:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegallivantpost.com\/?p=2786"},"modified":"2017-03-10T17:21:29","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T09:21:29","slug":"snapshot-the-lost-world-of-mount-roraima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegallivantpost.com\/snapshot-the-lost-world-of-mount-roraima\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapshot: The Lost World of Mount Roraima"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On some days, it ascends into the heavens, peeking in and out of clouds to create an other-worldly landscape. On a clear day, Mount Roraima cuts an unusual picture, a wide expanse of Table Mountain that straddles the borders of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana.<\/p>\n
The mountain got its name from the word ‘Roroi-ma’, which means the \u201cBig Blue-Green\u201d in the Pemon (the indigenous people of South America) language. Some parts of Mount Roraima are believed to make up the oldest geological formations on earth, going back two billion years.<\/p>\n
From far, the plateaued top rising above jagged cliffs paints a surreal image. When near, it\u2019s an intimidating sight, rising sharply to an impressive height of over 9,000 feet (2,810 meters). That\u2019s the height of over six Empire State Buildings. It\u2019s little wonder Mount Roraima provides the perfect inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle\u2019s classic novel The Lost World in 1912. In his story, he envisioned prehistoric animals and cavemen gallivanting atop the summit. That\u2019s not quite the case in reality, but that gives you an idea of how primeval the mountain appears. Scientists labelled the mountain \u201cislands in time\u201d, having discovered species that evolved in utter isolation on these mountain top over centuries.<\/p>\n