Charles Brewer Cave
The discovery of the largest quartzite cave in the world (Massif of Chimantá, Venezuela) by Branislav Šmída, Marek Audy and Charles Brewer Carias
Page created by Michael Hardcastle from Australia
Summary
The words in red are links to see photos of the cave exploration mentioned in the text
Within the summit of one of the plateau’s tepuys a new fluvial cave of imposing dimensions was discovered in 2002 and it was named “Cueva Charles Brewer“ in honour of its discoverer. It is extremely difficult to access. It rises from the forest in the southeastern region of Venezuela. This cave of 23.4 kilometers in length and 110m deep, was explored later, during two expeditions that took place in 2004 and afterwards by eight more, and is worthy of attention first of all because, in spite of being developed in quartzite (silicarenite), this cave has spaces and domes whose volumes exceed hundreds of thousands of cubic meters. A classic cave that is simultaneously so voluminous and well developed to the absolute perfection such as this, has never before been found in quartzite; one reason is because it constitutes a totally new phenomenon, as well as the unusual speleothems that we named biospeleothems that were observed inside the cave.
Introduction to Geography and Speleology
The Massif of Chimantá, has a surface area of around 1,470 km2 and is located some 60 km in the direction of another very famous plateau: the Auyántepui, from where Salto Angel drops (Angel Falls, 979 m) the highest waterfall in the world. The summit of Chimantá was, in the remote past, a single mass, but now is divided into 10 plateaus of more than 2,000m in altitude. These plateaus are commonly separated by rivers and their affluents. The most elevated of these plateaus is Murey-tepui (2,698 m), almost as high as the emblematic Mount Roraima.
The Massif of Chimantá has vertical rock walls with heights that vary between 400 to more than 1,000 meters and some have negative profiles. These mountains called “tepui“ in the indigenous language, are of sedimentary origin and their sandstones, sub-horizontally deposited, belong to the Roraima Group geological formation. From a geological point of view, these sands are ortoquartzites, almost monominerals, whose age has been estimated to be some 1.8 thousands of millions of years (Middle Proterozoic). The surface of these flat top mountains, is fractured by numerous fissures where several abysses have been explored during the last decades.
The Massif of Chimantá has vertical rock walls with heights that vary between 400 to more than 1,000 meters and some have negative profiles. These mountains called “tepui“ in the indigenous language, are of sedimentary origin and their sandstones, sub-horizontally deposited, belong to the Roraima Group geological formation. From a geological point of view, these sands are ortoquartzites, almost monominerals, whose age has been estimated to be some 1.8 thousands of millions of years (Middle Proterozoic). The surface of these flat top mountains, is fractured by numerous fissures where several abysses have been explored during the last decades.
History Of The New Explorations
Charles Brewer-Carías is considered the pioneer of speleology in quartzitic rocks. It was he who first discovered and explored the cave at Cerro Autana (Autana tower) in 1971. This cave is 653m in length. (Brewer-Carías, 1976a) During another important expedition amongst the 145 that he has completed to the high territories of Guayana, he also discovered the largest of the world famous mega-abysses (sinkholes) that sink into the plateau of Sarisariñama (Brewer-Carías, 1976b). Charles was the first human to descend into the Sima Mayor (-314 m) an enormous sinkhole 350ms in diameter, it is the largest sinkhole on earth with 18 million cubic meters of void after the Sotano de Barro in Mexico
Brewer-Carías also explored the summit of the Massif of Chimantá in 1978, when he directed a multidisciplinary expedition, accompanied by several researchers, in which the summit of the Eruoda-tepui and the Murey-tepui plateaus were visited for the first time to collect endemic animals and plants and to study its geology. During a recent air reconnaissance, the same day Brewer saw the spot where he found his cave, he had been taken by a helicopter pilot named Raul Arias to the base of the Aprada-tepui to visit a gorge shelter of 250m in height, where Charles took the first picture of this “cave” and named it: “La Cueva de El Fantasma” (The Cave of The Phantom ) because it was guarded by a small waterfall as was the cave drawn in the old Phantom´s cartoons. As he had to fly out over the Chimantá on January 11th 2002 at 3000 masl, he observed a little hole like a bridge in one of the walls inside a canyon, and he immediately noted that such a river could correspond to the resurgence of a great underground fluvial system. Although he tried to immediately organize an expedition to explore the mountain, nobody showed any interest in helping him; and it was not until two years later, when flying again over the Massif of Chimantá to make some other aerial stereoscopic photographs, so he could study the topography of the mountain to choose the three places where he would prepare heliports to transfer the 11 companions who committed to help him pay the helicopter flight and to accompany him to have a japanese sushi meal under a bridge, which could have been another single crack in the mountain.
The transportation of the twelve explorers to the cave, resulted in an extremely dangerous maneuver which was successfully completed thanks to the forest experience of the helicopter pilots Tuto Martínez and Ben Williams, since the point where the final disembarkation at 2,100m in altitude, was over the crest of a 10 cm wide rock of 5m in height, which could scarcely support one of the helicopter skis. In front of them, they found an enormous space of 100m x 120m x 30m in height where they installed the basecamp.
Hardly had they descended another 20m when they found the main gallery which was up to 60m wide in some parts with a medium altitude of 15 to 20 m. The explorers did not have any problems walking through this giant gallery and orienting within its spaces thanks to a torrential river that formed precious cascades and cataracts, and after 4 hours and some 2 kms of route, they arrived at a quiet and deep lake that they named Chayo, and they thought that they would have to cross with an inflatable boat which they did not have with them at that time, which was the reason why they decided to return to the basecamp. Although they did not have appropriate lighting equipment to illuminate the dimensions of this enormous cavern, they considered that the cave continued beyond the mentioned lake and that it would be necessary to make another expedition to measure and to document its vast galleries, as well as to collect samples of the strange and unusual speleothems that they saw growing from the walls and the floor of the cave.
Brewer-Carías also explored the summit of the Massif of Chimantá in 1978, when he directed a multidisciplinary expedition, accompanied by several researchers, in which the summit of the Eruoda-tepui and the Murey-tepui plateaus were visited for the first time to collect endemic animals and plants and to study its geology. During a recent air reconnaissance, the same day Brewer saw the spot where he found his cave, he had been taken by a helicopter pilot named Raul Arias to the base of the Aprada-tepui to visit a gorge shelter of 250m in height, where Charles took the first picture of this “cave” and named it: “La Cueva de El Fantasma” (The Cave of The Phantom ) because it was guarded by a small waterfall as was the cave drawn in the old Phantom´s cartoons. As he had to fly out over the Chimantá on January 11th 2002 at 3000 masl, he observed a little hole like a bridge in one of the walls inside a canyon, and he immediately noted that such a river could correspond to the resurgence of a great underground fluvial system. Although he tried to immediately organize an expedition to explore the mountain, nobody showed any interest in helping him; and it was not until two years later, when flying again over the Massif of Chimantá to make some other aerial stereoscopic photographs, so he could study the topography of the mountain to choose the three places where he would prepare heliports to transfer the 11 companions who committed to help him pay the helicopter flight and to accompany him to have a japanese sushi meal under a bridge, which could have been another single crack in the mountain.
The transportation of the twelve explorers to the cave, resulted in an extremely dangerous maneuver which was successfully completed thanks to the forest experience of the helicopter pilots Tuto Martínez and Ben Williams, since the point where the final disembarkation at 2,100m in altitude, was over the crest of a 10 cm wide rock of 5m in height, which could scarcely support one of the helicopter skis. In front of them, they found an enormous space of 100m x 120m x 30m in height where they installed the basecamp.
Hardly had they descended another 20m when they found the main gallery which was up to 60m wide in some parts with a medium altitude of 15 to 20 m. The explorers did not have any problems walking through this giant gallery and orienting within its spaces thanks to a torrential river that formed precious cascades and cataracts, and after 4 hours and some 2 kms of route, they arrived at a quiet and deep lake that they named Chayo, and they thought that they would have to cross with an inflatable boat which they did not have with them at that time, which was the reason why they decided to return to the basecamp. Although they did not have appropriate lighting equipment to illuminate the dimensions of this enormous cavern, they considered that the cave continued beyond the mentioned lake and that it would be necessary to make another expedition to measure and to document its vast galleries, as well as to collect samples of the strange and unusual speleothems that they saw growing from the walls and the floor of the cave.
The crew in this first expedition were: Charles Brewer-Carías, Charles Brewer Capriles (Chayo), Federico (Kiko) Mayoral, Alberto Tovar Phelps, Luis A. Carnicero, Fernando Tamayo, Alejandro Chumaceiro, Eduardo Wallis, Alfredo Chacón, César Barrio-Amorós, Dr. Ricardo Guerrero professor of the Tropical Zoology Institute of the Faculty of Sciences of the Central University of Venezuela and Dr. Francisco Delascio Director of the Ciudad Bolívar Botanical Garden, Venezuela. These last two investigators are also members of the “National Commision for the Protection of the Tepuys” and this guaranteed that this visit caused minimal environmental impact.
The second expedition took place two months later (from May 28th through June 2nd 2004) during the rainy season, and although it would be very dangerous for the helicopter flights and for the exploration, Brewer-Carías organized a team of 7 members that included 2 foreign specialists for mapping and taking photographs. On this trip they went 2km beyond Lake Chayo and made a better inventory of the “biospeleothems” that they found at at Mesa de los Muñecos growing against gravity, and were able to collect a new species of strange underwater cricket, and scorpions of great interest. In this second expedition, besides Charles Brewer-Carías, the other participants were F. Mayoral, L.A. Carnicero, Ch. Brewer Capriles, John Brewer M. and the Slovak and Czech spelunkers Branislav Šmída and Marek Audy. After these two in 2004, another eight expeditions were organized up till 2012, but in these explorations the helicopters refused to do the equilbriun trick and landed above the cave, where a base camp with tents was arranged and the 80 meter descent towards the cave was made with a very long rappell.
The second expedition took place two months later (from May 28th through June 2nd 2004) during the rainy season, and although it would be very dangerous for the helicopter flights and for the exploration, Brewer-Carías organized a team of 7 members that included 2 foreign specialists for mapping and taking photographs. On this trip they went 2km beyond Lake Chayo and made a better inventory of the “biospeleothems” that they found at at Mesa de los Muñecos growing against gravity, and were able to collect a new species of strange underwater cricket, and scorpions of great interest. In this second expedition, besides Charles Brewer-Carías, the other participants were F. Mayoral, L.A. Carnicero, Ch. Brewer Capriles, John Brewer M. and the Slovak and Czech spelunkers Branislav Šmída and Marek Audy. After these two in 2004, another eight expeditions were organized up till 2012, but in these explorations the helicopters refused to do the equilbriun trick and landed above the cave, where a base camp with tents was arranged and the 80 meter descent towards the cave was made with a very long rappell.
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Expedition on the table mountain Chimanta, Venezuela. 2009
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Film by Luis Alberto Carnicero
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Aspect Of The Cave And Its Morphology
Although it is difficult to determine exactly where the entrance of this Cueva Charles Brewer is located, the enormous mouth opens to the air thanks to an aperture in the form of an arc of 120m in length and 15 to 30 m in height, which rises over a floor formed by rocks as a result of a great landslide. They called this entrance the Boca del Mamut (Mouth of the Mammoth) because standing inside the cave, they could see light entering by an opening that, against the sky, looked like the profile of the enormous animal.
Twenty meters under where the basecamp was located, they found a river running by a gallery that has the the lowest profile of all the cave (about 10m in height) and a width of 50 to 60m. In this site, the two borders of the river are formed by mud terraces of a fine alluvium of a deeply laterite color varying from ocher to orange, which testifies to the occurrence of periodic floods in this section of the cave. Next the gallery ascends gradually some 15 to 20m and there is a section where the river runs below the rocky bed and there it has formed magnificent sand beaches with wave ripples (Playa Mayoral, or Mayoral Beach). Further along, the halls reach 40 to 50m wide and the floor of the cave is the setting of a chaotic landslide formed by blocks of rocks, some as large as a house (zone of the Diente de Tiburón, or Tooth of Shark). Some 600m from the entrance, the cave takes on the form of a canyon with a very ample profile, this space sometimes is reduced to 15 x 20m. Immediately, one found the foam that originated in the first cascades, and further ahead the river runs, locked up between walls. This zone is one of the most dangerous to cross because one is forced to walk by the bed of the river and at the time of rain, extremely dangerous torrents form there.
Deeper in, these relatively close profiles are transformed into very great galleries which look like halls crowned by domes (Gran Salón Barrio, or Great Hall Barrio), with heights from 15 to 25m and with a width of 40 to 60m. In this section the river runs hidden below piles of rocks and it can be seen and heard only in some parts. Later, the river rises again, with plenty of dynamism and energy, exploding in small cataracts running below rocky ridges like in the Cascada de las Arañas (Cascade of the Spiders), and measures some 5m in height. This section must be negotiated by moving along the left hand side, ascending by a slope of land the color of ocher, which seems out of place in this world of sandstone. At the summit, there is a wide and deep lake named Lago Chayo (Lake Chayo) which the explorers discovered during the first expedition on March 28th 2004.
Twenty meters under where the basecamp was located, they found a river running by a gallery that has the the lowest profile of all the cave (about 10m in height) and a width of 50 to 60m. In this site, the two borders of the river are formed by mud terraces of a fine alluvium of a deeply laterite color varying from ocher to orange, which testifies to the occurrence of periodic floods in this section of the cave. Next the gallery ascends gradually some 15 to 20m and there is a section where the river runs below the rocky bed and there it has formed magnificent sand beaches with wave ripples (Playa Mayoral, or Mayoral Beach). Further along, the halls reach 40 to 50m wide and the floor of the cave is the setting of a chaotic landslide formed by blocks of rocks, some as large as a house (zone of the Diente de Tiburón, or Tooth of Shark). Some 600m from the entrance, the cave takes on the form of a canyon with a very ample profile, this space sometimes is reduced to 15 x 20m. Immediately, one found the foam that originated in the first cascades, and further ahead the river runs, locked up between walls. This zone is one of the most dangerous to cross because one is forced to walk by the bed of the river and at the time of rain, extremely dangerous torrents form there.
Deeper in, these relatively close profiles are transformed into very great galleries which look like halls crowned by domes (Gran Salón Barrio, or Great Hall Barrio), with heights from 15 to 25m and with a width of 40 to 60m. In this section the river runs hidden below piles of rocks and it can be seen and heard only in some parts. Later, the river rises again, with plenty of dynamism and energy, exploding in small cataracts running below rocky ridges like in the Cascada de las Arañas (Cascade of the Spiders), and measures some 5m in height. This section must be negotiated by moving along the left hand side, ascending by a slope of land the color of ocher, which seems out of place in this world of sandstone. At the summit, there is a wide and deep lake named Lago Chayo (Lake Chayo) which the explorers discovered during the first expedition on March 28th 2004.
After we passed the lake Chayo in a boat, we found two galleries that are two arms of the same river, which surrounds a landslide in the form of a cone which is about 20m in height. The ceiling of this cone is a very ample dome (90 x 150m) that we called Planetario (The Planetarium) because of the shiny rocks found in it.Here we found one of the most voluminous spaces of the cave (135,000 m3). For safety reasons, the peak of that pyramid was chosen to install the Biouvac or camp where we would sleep, and then we continued with the exploration of the cave.
In this section, the ceiling was 15m above our heads, although from the river this dome has a height that varies between 30 and 40m. After The Planetarium, we found another deep lake, Lago Carnicero (Lake Carnicero), more cascades and a little further ahead, we entered an extensive and tremendously straight gallery which fluctuates between 50 and 60m wide and 15 to 20m in height (Galería Orinoco, or Gallery Orinoco). The last section of the principal gallery of the cave, begins with a spectacular cataract that falls from a step of 5m in height (Cascada de Eslovaquia, or Cascade Slovakia), and immediately behind that, the profile enlarges tremendously to the Gran Galería Karen y Fanny (Great Gallery Karen and Fanny) that measures 355m in length and maintains a constant width of about 60m (perhaps up to 70m because in fact, we have not yet covered all its periphery). The height of the ceiling taken from the river, we considered to be around 40m and the volume of this cavity we have calculated to be about 400,000 m3 which makes it the Greatest Speleological Hall of Venezuela! This space is so wide, high and long, that if the floor was flat, one could take off and land a small aircraft. This gallery was named the Gran Galería Karen y Fanny (Great Gallery Karen and Fanny), for the daughter and the wife of Charles.
In this section, the ceiling was 15m above our heads, although from the river this dome has a height that varies between 30 and 40m. After The Planetarium, we found another deep lake, Lago Carnicero (Lake Carnicero), more cascades and a little further ahead, we entered an extensive and tremendously straight gallery which fluctuates between 50 and 60m wide and 15 to 20m in height (Galería Orinoco, or Gallery Orinoco). The last section of the principal gallery of the cave, begins with a spectacular cataract that falls from a step of 5m in height (Cascada de Eslovaquia, or Cascade Slovakia), and immediately behind that, the profile enlarges tremendously to the Gran Galería Karen y Fanny (Great Gallery Karen and Fanny) that measures 355m in length and maintains a constant width of about 60m (perhaps up to 70m because in fact, we have not yet covered all its periphery). The height of the ceiling taken from the river, we considered to be around 40m and the volume of this cavity we have calculated to be about 400,000 m3 which makes it the Greatest Speleological Hall of Venezuela! This space is so wide, high and long, that if the floor was flat, one could take off and land a small aircraft. This gallery was named the Gran Galería Karen y Fanny (Great Gallery Karen and Fanny), for the daughter and the wife of Charles.
The cave finishes at the bottom of this gallery in a bifurcation, with one of the galleries having a dynamic section where the river rises below an extensive landslide that we were unable to cross, and on the other side another gallery comes together (Galería Lena, or Gallery Lena) that finishes in a cork, which we also could not cross to continue the cave exploration. Returning to the entrance of the Cueva Charles Brewer, we found that towards the north, there is a prolongation of the Gran Salón del Campamento (Great Camp Hall) where there is a giant gallery that we called Gran Galería de los Guácharos (Great Gallery of the Guácharos) because herewe we found a small colony of the strange bird (Steatornis caripensis). This gallery is impressively ample and is 350m in length with a width of between 50 and 60m, and is crowned by a ceiling that rises in some places up to 30m. We have calculated that the volume of this free space runs to about 320,000 m3 .The bottom of this gallery has an arc profile, and we found that it was plugged by a great landslide of blocks, and when climbing it, we discovered a little opening that connects with a small sinkhole that opens in the summit of the mountain.
To summarise the activity we carried out in June 2004, we explored just 4,482m and 110m of depth (Šmída et al., 2004, 2005), but after 10 expeditions we were able to find other caves nearby that connected with a system some 23.4km in length; resulting in the largest quartzcite cave in the world and the largest cave in Venezuela.
To summarise the activity we carried out in June 2004, we explored just 4,482m and 110m of depth (Šmída et al., 2004, 2005), but after 10 expeditions we were able to find other caves nearby that connected with a system some 23.4km in length; resulting in the largest quartzcite cave in the world and the largest cave in Venezuela.
Genetic Contexts
The Cueva Charles Brewer has a slope of less than 3°, beginning about 100 to 200m below the surface of the plateau and practically parallel to this. This incline could have been caused by the almost horizontal layers of quartzite sediments of different density, which probably directed the flow of the water during the development of the cave. (It is for this reason that the width to height ratio is generally between 2:1 and 5:1). The main direction of the gallery-axis of the cave is horizontal, and it also maintains an impressive straightness in the NE-SW azimuth and the few lateral curves that we found, are very smooth and have an enormous radius.
One of the most remarkable elements of the morphogenesis of this cave, is that although it has such extensive galleries, these are developed completely independent of the vertical tectonics that fractured the surface of the plateau. The main direction of the axis of the cave, is almost perpendicular to the cracks that are observed, and the only crack that was observed within the cave is perpendicular to the course of the river, located in a place where a rock bridge is formed, which we called “pokemon”.
One of the most remarkable elements of the morphogenesis of this cave, is that although it has such extensive galleries, these are developed completely independent of the vertical tectonics that fractured the surface of the plateau. The main direction of the axis of the cave, is almost perpendicular to the cracks that are observed, and the only crack that was observed within the cave is perpendicular to the course of the river, located in a place where a rock bridge is formed, which we called “pokemon”.
So it seems that Great Gallery of the Guácharos corresponds to a previous development in the principal gallery of the cave, and it could have recently been occupied by a flow of water that apparently enters by a fissure, which we found at the bottom of this gallery and that is connected to the surface of the plateau. Nevertheless, we have considered the possibility of a confluence of two independent hidrological systems, whose accidental union could have happened due to the great landslide collapse of the cave entrance where the basecamp was located and which is actually shared by both galleries.
We found in the june 2004 exploration, that in the main gallery of the cave, there were not deviations, either signals of older levels, but in the expecditions made in the next years, we found that this cave was linked and part of a great system of underground drainages, as can be observed in the map. Also we observed almost like rule, that after each cascade there is a depression that is limited in the opposed side by an ample accumulated stone barrier, and because of these docks, is that during the rainy season there occurs the formation of deep lakes and when these lakes are overflowed, this causes the flood of the cave. Still more, it is possible that due to the effect type “venturi” in the galleries of strait profile, the pressure could have caused the formation of the great spaces (and in continue formation) due to the remarkable ascent of the water level in the areas occupied by the domes.
We found in the june 2004 exploration, that in the main gallery of the cave, there were not deviations, either signals of older levels, but in the expecditions made in the next years, we found that this cave was linked and part of a great system of underground drainages, as can be observed in the map. Also we observed almost like rule, that after each cascade there is a depression that is limited in the opposed side by an ample accumulated stone barrier, and because of these docks, is that during the rainy season there occurs the formation of deep lakes and when these lakes are overflowed, this causes the flood of the cave. Still more, it is possible that due to the effect type “venturi” in the galleries of strait profile, the pressure could have caused the formation of the great spaces (and in continue formation) due to the remarkable ascent of the water level in the areas occupied by the domes.
Hidrological And Climatic Relations
The river that runs throughout the Cueva Charles Brewer, carries a volume of water of 200 – 300 l/sec during the drier season (December – March). That is the period with less rain of a formidable pluviometric volume,considered annually to be 3,351mm at that altitude.
But as our exploration of the cave took place in the beginning of the period of the highest precipitation (519 mm/June), we were witnesses to the speed in which the river increases in volume and during a storm the water level rose 8 meters, surely due to the water accumulation in the lakes and the galleries gentle slope.
Until now, we did not know with accuracy, the maximum height the floods can reach within the cave, but in the area of the entrance, we could observe that in only half an hour, a lake was formed about 8m in depth and several hundred meters in length (from the entrance possibly to the Tooth of Shark). This took place very quickly, just as the group of explorers arrived at the camp! During that flood,the volume of the river could have reached several m3/s. We concluded this because we found that the naked walls of the “canyon”, the zone where we first observed the secondary mineral deposits (biospeleothems), are more than 10m in height and too high to be in contact with the water within galleries that were between 10 and 15m of wide. We also found evidence that shows the water also rises quickly in the areas of the domes, as during the exploration of the cave (The Planetarium) we found that in the highest part of landslides, there was fresh foam loaded with humic and fulvic acids, which is characteristic of the “black water” rivers of the Venezuelan Guayana. We also found that in the wide galleries, a large portion of the piles of blocks on the floor were covered with a fine clay mantle (or of dry foam).
We concluded that, because the cave is so extensive and the change in the level of the water in its interior is so unpredictable, the Cueva Charles Brewer must be considered very dangerous during most of the year, and especially during storms, since several of its halls have no escape routes and it is also possible that a wave type tsunami could be generated in the narrow galleries, which could cause devastating consequences to anyone standing in its way. For this reason it is recommended to go prepared with an inflatable boat and food for several days, to remain alert and to camp in the highest part of the piles of rock that are located in the largest galleries. However, in normal conditions, the cave is very pleasant With a constant temperature of 13 degrees Celsius and the water in the river is potable with no need to boil or to filter it.
Until now, we did not know with accuracy, the maximum height the floods can reach within the cave, but in the area of the entrance, we could observe that in only half an hour, a lake was formed about 8m in depth and several hundred meters in length (from the entrance possibly to the Tooth of Shark). This took place very quickly, just as the group of explorers arrived at the camp! During that flood,the volume of the river could have reached several m3/s. We concluded this because we found that the naked walls of the “canyon”, the zone where we first observed the secondary mineral deposits (biospeleothems), are more than 10m in height and too high to be in contact with the water within galleries that were between 10 and 15m of wide. We also found evidence that shows the water also rises quickly in the areas of the domes, as during the exploration of the cave (The Planetarium) we found that in the highest part of landslides, there was fresh foam loaded with humic and fulvic acids, which is characteristic of the “black water” rivers of the Venezuelan Guayana. We also found that in the wide galleries, a large portion of the piles of blocks on the floor were covered with a fine clay mantle (or of dry foam).
We concluded that, because the cave is so extensive and the change in the level of the water in its interior is so unpredictable, the Cueva Charles Brewer must be considered very dangerous during most of the year, and especially during storms, since several of its halls have no escape routes and it is also possible that a wave type tsunami could be generated in the narrow galleries, which could cause devastating consequences to anyone standing in its way. For this reason it is recommended to go prepared with an inflatable boat and food for several days, to remain alert and to camp in the highest part of the piles of rock that are located in the largest galleries. However, in normal conditions, the cave is very pleasant With a constant temperature of 13 degrees Celsius and the water in the river is potable with no need to boil or to filter it.
Spectacular Speleothems And Biospeleothems
Growing on tables, shelves and walls of the cave, we have found a great variety of biospeleothems with different shapes never before described. And, as in almost the total majority of the cases, we observed that these structures are not related to any stalactite, nor places where dripping occurs, and as a result, we have reached the conclusion, that the water suspended in aerosol form that occupies all the cavern atmosphere, especially near the cascades located where the water revolves and sprinkles, are responsible for the development of these extraordinary forms. The river in the cavern, comes directly from the summit of the mountain and the water is clear but is the color of tea. In large volumes it shines red like Coca-Cola, due to the high concentration of humic substances (humic and fulvic acids) originated by the humus and the vegetation that dies at the surface of the mountain, as it is well known.
Almost all these biospeleothems, grow defying gravity and are found near the cascades and above the maximum level of the floodwaters, like it was observed in the Vanessa waterfall.
. Some of these are white in color and others are black. They grow in a dendritic shape and up to 40cm in height, and we have called them Dolls and ice creams, Guácimos (a type of Venezuelan fruit) and Black Corals. Others speleothems, appear as great white balls, ranging from 10 cm to one meter diameter, which we called Champignons. All these speleothems, are developed by the increase of very fine layers of a spongy material, and on slicing the speleothems with an electric saw, and examining them with a powerful tomograph, we have been able to appreciate that in its nucleus is a very hard silica material of diverse colors, surely opal, with strange shapes and volumes that we calculated were several kilograms in weight, which we believe were probably created by the activity of biological forms (fungi or bacteria) that have not yet been studied. In other places such as the Great Gallery of the Guácharos and in the Cascade of the Spiders, we found thin scabs with coralinoid forms; as well as bristled plates of transparent crystal of several cm in length, ferrous concreccions, a tubular stalactite of a meter in length, and brown stalactites with fractal geometry, growing in all the directions.
Almost all these biospeleothems, grow defying gravity and are found near the cascades and above the maximum level of the floodwaters, like it was observed in the Vanessa waterfall.
. Some of these are white in color and others are black. They grow in a dendritic shape and up to 40cm in height, and we have called them Dolls and ice creams, Guácimos (a type of Venezuelan fruit) and Black Corals. Others speleothems, appear as great white balls, ranging from 10 cm to one meter diameter, which we called Champignons. All these speleothems, are developed by the increase of very fine layers of a spongy material, and on slicing the speleothems with an electric saw, and examining them with a powerful tomograph, we have been able to appreciate that in its nucleus is a very hard silica material of diverse colors, surely opal, with strange shapes and volumes that we calculated were several kilograms in weight, which we believe were probably created by the activity of biological forms (fungi or bacteria) that have not yet been studied. In other places such as the Great Gallery of the Guácharos and in the Cascade of the Spiders, we found thin scabs with coralinoid forms; as well as bristled plates of transparent crystal of several cm in length, ferrous concreccions, a tubular stalactite of a meter in length, and brown stalactites with fractal geometry, growing in all the directions.
Biospeleology
In spite of the altitude (2,100ms), we found that the Cueva Charles Brewer maintains several troglophile species. In the Great Camp Hall, we observed several swift nests (Streptoprocne zonaris) and at dusk we observed two species of bats and several flocks of birds “Guácharos“ (Steatornis caripensis) that nest in the Great Gallery of the Guácharos;
these constitute the first fauna registry for this mountain. Also we observed some beetles Coleoptera, some transparent Isopoda, one species of Ephemera flying in the dimness near where the river emerges from the cave, and the most remarkable were some giant crickets (Hydrolutos sp.) from 10 to 12cm in length that were submerged underneath the water away from danger and turned out to be a new species, now named Hydrolutos breweri .We also found two species of scorpions (Broteochactas sp.) that had not yet have been described and the greater variety of arthropods were represented by many species of spiders (Araneida), of millimetric scale, and very few between one and two centimeters n length at the most. It caught our attention, that in one of the most remote sections from the entrance of the cave, the surface of some “Doll” shaped speleothems, served as home to one species of tiny spider, and in another place, it was observed that the fabric or spiderwebs of some spider, served as a nucleus or base that allowed the growth of another kind of speleothems.
Perspective
The discovery of horizontal caves in the tepuy zone, is a little known fact and generally the quartzite systems that have so far been explored, are located in deep fissures controlled by rock fracture joints and planes of stratification.
One of these caves, independent of the cracks that are in the summit of these plateaus (in addition to the one of the Cerro Autana), is the Cueva Ojos de Cristal (Eyes of Cristal) some 2,410 m in length. It was discovered by chance in the year 2002 in the summit of Mount Roraima and later explored under the direction of two of the authors of this work (Audy, Šmída, 2003, Šmída et al., 2003). Nevertheless, the Cueva Charles Brewer is a greater and much more complex cave and besides its 23.4 km long size, we are sure that itwill be increased after the new expeditions we have prepared, because we have already located a new entrance to the system that me have amed “Cueva de El Diente” (The Tooth cave) because the enameled surface there is above its entrance.
In summary, the Cueva Charles Brewer can be considered, without doubt, the greatest and most voluminous amongst all quartzite caves of the world, and the dimension of its galleries, allows to also compare it with the greatest limestone rock caverns, like the ones that are in Slovenia, China or Mexico. Until now, the Gruta do Centenário (4,700ms) located at the Massif Pico do Inficionado in Brazil has been considered to be the longest quartzite cave system, but when compared with the length and the volume of the Cueva Charles Brewer that we have explored, we can appreciate that this last one constitutes a new category all by itself, which is one reason why it is difficult to compare its amplitude with the other caverns.
Of course, the spelelological discoveries in tepuys are not very frequent because the area is very isolated and remains covered by clouds almost all the year round, in addition to the transport by helicopter which is very expensive; these are expeditions that by their character, look very similar to the ones that have been completed by the French spelunkers looking for caves in the Papua/New Britain region, where helicopters must almost always be used for the transportation of people and the equipment.
In February 2013, after followig the discovery of the Charles Brewer Cave made by the Sociedad Venezolana de Ciencias Naturales speleological team liderized by Brewer-Carias. The very important La Venta Esplorazioni Geografiche Italian speleological team directed by Francesco Sauro, explored and discovered a great cave in quartz sandstones at the Summit of the Auyantepui table mountain and named it Imawarí Yeutá system with near 15 km long extension and second in lenght to the Charles Brewer Cave at the Chimantá massif.
In summary, the Cueva Charles Brewer can be considered, without doubt, the greatest and most voluminous amongst all quartzite caves of the world, and the dimension of its galleries, allows to also compare it with the greatest limestone rock caverns, like the ones that are in Slovenia, China or Mexico. Until now, the Gruta do Centenário (4,700ms) located at the Massif Pico do Inficionado in Brazil has been considered to be the longest quartzite cave system, but when compared with the length and the volume of the Cueva Charles Brewer that we have explored, we can appreciate that this last one constitutes a new category all by itself, which is one reason why it is difficult to compare its amplitude with the other caverns.
Of course, the spelelological discoveries in tepuys are not very frequent because the area is very isolated and remains covered by clouds almost all the year round, in addition to the transport by helicopter which is very expensive; these are expeditions that by their character, look very similar to the ones that have been completed by the French spelunkers looking for caves in the Papua/New Britain region, where helicopters must almost always be used for the transportation of people and the equipment.
In February 2013, after followig the discovery of the Charles Brewer Cave made by the Sociedad Venezolana de Ciencias Naturales speleological team liderized by Brewer-Carias. The very important La Venta Esplorazioni Geografiche Italian speleological team directed by Francesco Sauro, explored and discovered a great cave in quartz sandstones at the Summit of the Auyantepui table mountain and named it Imawarí Yeutá system with near 15 km long extension and second in lenght to the Charles Brewer Cave at the Chimantá massif.
Above image shows the maps of the Charles Brewer cave system at the Chimantá tepui and the Imawaï Yeuta cave system at the Auyantepui , presented at the same scale, so the reader may compare and understand the dimension of these caves at the Guayana Highlands
text written by Branislav Šmída, Charles Brewer-Carías and Marek Audy” Michael Hardcastle
and here is the original credit:
Branislav Šmída – Charles Brewer-Carías – Marek Audy
Cueva Charles Brewer – najväčšia kvarcitová jaskyňa sveta
Speleoexpedície do masívu Chimantá (Venezuela) v roku 2004
Spravodaj Slovenskej speleologickej spoločnosti 5 / 2004 (mimoriadne číslo)
+ grafický znak (logo SSS, Netopier)
and here is the original credit:
Branislav Šmída – Charles Brewer-Carías – Marek Audy
Cueva Charles Brewer – najväčšia kvarcitová jaskyňa sveta
Speleoexpedície do masívu Chimantá (Venezuela) v roku 2004
Spravodaj Slovenskej speleologickej spoločnosti 5 / 2004 (mimoriadne číslo)
+ grafický znak (logo SSS, Netopier)
Note On The Cave Photography
" The flashes for the Cameras we know and we use, do not work for a cave of this size .
So the famous Czech photographer Marek Audy did what his father taught him to obtain cave pictures. He used powder magnesium, packed in in small handful amounts in an aluminum wrap, and lighted it by hand at different places. The cumberson part is that the people in the pictures could not move until every back up light was done. It was like working in the 1880...! and the results are extraordinary, as the reader can appreciate it....! " - Charles Brewer Carias
So the famous Czech photographer Marek Audy did what his father taught him to obtain cave pictures. He used powder magnesium, packed in in small handful amounts in an aluminum wrap, and lighted it by hand at different places. The cumberson part is that the people in the pictures could not move until every back up light was done. It was like working in the 1880...! and the results are extraordinary, as the reader can appreciate it....! " - Charles Brewer Carias
Photo Gallery
The western horizon from the Yunek village (900 masl) interrupted by the Chimantá Massif showing the eastern of Acopán-tepui 2600 masl and of the Churi-tepui (where the cave is. - Charles Brewer Carias
Charles standing among golden bromeliads Brocchinia hechtioides
Above photo shows Janis Kastovsky, Joyce Lundberg and Charles Brewer looking at the microscope pictures of the New Algae found near the cave to be described. - Charles Brewer Carias
Above photo shows a mosaic of algae images taken with the Microscope
Above photo shows Joyce Lundberg starting her 80 meter rappel down to the cave
Above photo shows the explorers in the second exploration and first measurement of the cave. From left to right: Luis Alberto Carnicero, young John Brewer, Charles Brewer-Carias, Marek Audy, Charles Brewer (Chayo) and Federico Mayoral. Picture by Branislav Smida
"All The awesome pictures from the inside of the cave were made with the classic Magnesium powder by the famous Cave Photographer Marek Audy from the Czech Speleological Society." - Charles Brewer Carias
Click On Photo Gallery
Click On Map Gallery
First row: Alfredo Chacon, Cesar Barrio-Amoros, Prof. Ricardo Guerrero, Eduardo Wallis, Francisco Delascio,
Second row: Alberto Tovar Phelps, Alejandro Chumaceiro, Federico Mayoral, Luis Alberto Carnicero, Fernando Tanayo Lavie, Charles Brewer Capriles, Charles Brewer Carias.
Second row: Alberto Tovar Phelps, Alejandro Chumaceiro, Federico Mayoral, Luis Alberto Carnicero, Fernando Tanayo Lavie, Charles Brewer Capriles, Charles Brewer Carias.
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Papers and books published about the discoveries at the world´s largest quartzite cave “Cueva Charles Brewer“ at Curi-tepui in the Chimanta massif of the Guayana Highlands, Venezuela. 2004-2019. -Alphabetical -
Aubrecht, R., Ch. Brewer-Carías & B. Šmída. 2005. Opálové biospeleotémy z pieskovcovej jaskyne Cueva Charles Brewer, masív Chimantá, Venezuela – petrografická analýza (predbežné vysledky). In: Šmída, B., Ch. Brewer-Carías & M. Audy (Eds.). Speleoexpedície do ma- sívu Chimantá 2004, Venezuela. Cueva Charles Brewer – Najväčšia kvarcitová jaskyňa sveta. Spravodaj Slovenskej speleologickej spoločnosti 36(3) (mimoriadne číslo): 84-96. Liptovský Mikuláš.
Aubrecht, R., Ch. Brewer-Carías, B. Šmída, M. Audy & Ľ. Kováčik. 2008a. Anatomy of biologically mediated opal speleothems in the world’s largest sandstone cave Cueva Charles Brewer, Chimantá Plateau, Venezuela. Sedimentary Geology 203: 3-4, 181-195. Amsterdam. www.elsevier.com/locate/sedgeo ; www.sciencedirect.com.
Aubrecht, R., T. Lánczos, B. Šmída, Ch. Brewer-Carías, F. Mayoral, J. Schlögl, M. Audy, L. Vlček, Ľ. Kováčik & M. Gregor. 2008b. Venezuelan sandstone caves: a new view on their genesis, hydrogeology and speleothems. Geologia Croatica 61(2-3): 345-362. Zagreb.
Aubrecht, R., Lánczos, T., Gregor, M., Schlögl, J., Šmída, B., Liš?ák, P., Brewer-Carías, C.H., Vlček, L. 2011. Sandstone caves on Venezuelan tepuis: Return to pseudokarst? Geomorphology volume 132, issue 3-4, year 2011, pp. 351 - 365
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8. (book).
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Cave Systems in Churí and Roraima tepuis – geomorphology, speleogenesis and speleothems. Pp. 9-111. En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Faunistic Investigations of the Pantepui Biogeographical Region. -3.1 The Pantepui Malacofauna, Land Snails of Churi-tepui and Other Tepuis in Southern Venezuela and adjacent áreas (Abraham Breure) pp.113-124 - En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8. (Al inicio de este trabajo se acredita a Brewer-Carias el termino “Islands in Time” para describir el aislamiento de las plantasyanimales de las cumbres de los tepuyes).
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Faunistic Investigations of the Pantepui Biogeographical Region. -3.2 Major Groups of Aquatic Insects of Pantepui (Thomas Derka) Pp. 124-140, - En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8.
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Faunistic Investigations of the Pantepui Biogeographical Region., -3.3 Major Groups of Aquatic Insects of Pantepui (Cesar Barrio-Amorós, Oswaldo Fuentes) Pp. 140-152 - En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8.
Aubrecht, R., Lánczos, T., Gregor, M., Schlögl, J., Šmída, B., Lišák, P., Brewer-Carías, C., Vlcek, L. 2013. Reply to the Comment on "Sandstone caves on Venezuelan tepuis: Return to pseudokarst?". Geomorphology
volume 197, issue , year 2013, pp. 197.
Aubrecht, Roman, Charles Brewer-Carías, Ľubomír Kováčik, Branislav
Šmída, Lukáš Vlček & Tomáš Lánczos. 2015. Microbial origin of Opal Speleothems in Venezuelan Quartzite caves (Roraima group, Guyana highlands). Research Gate. at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/228444943
Aubrecht, R., Lánczos, T., Schlögl, J., Audy, M. 2017. Small-scale modeling of cementation by descending silica-bearing fluids: Explanation of the origin of arenitic caves in South American tepuis. Geomorphology. volume 298, issue , year 2017, pp. 107 – 117.
Aubrecht, Roman, T. Lánczos, J. Schlögl, P. Filipčíková. 2019. “Selective weathering of cross-bedded layers forming shelters and small caves on Akopán Tepui (Venezuela): Field, laboratory and experimental evidence about diagenesis and weathering of the Matauí Formation arenites (Roraima Supergroup, Middle Proterozoic)” . Geomorphology 325, pp-55-69. Elsevier.
Audy, M., B. Šmída & F. Mayoral. 2004. The Worlds largest Quartzite Cave. (Speleologie v kvarcitových masívech). In: Geršl, M. (Ed.). 3rd National Speleological Congress. Extended Abstracts. 8.- 10.10.2004, Moravský kras, Sloup. Czech Speleological Society, Prague, pp: 1-6.
Audy, M. & B. Šmída. 2005a. The largest quarzite cave of the World – Cueva Charles Brewer. Speleofórum 24: 58-62. Praha.
Audy, M., B. Šmída. 2005b. Jeskyně Charles Brewer. Mamutí jeskyně v kvarcitech Guyanské vysočiny. Vesmír 84(135): 20-29. Praha.
Audy, M., B. Šmída & F. Mayoral. 2005. Cueva Charles Brewer (Chiman- tá). Cueva Ojos de Cristal (Roraima): the greatest quartzite cave of the World (Table-mountains Venezuela). In: Šmída, B., Ch. Brewer- Carías & M. Audy (Eds.). Speleoexpedície do masívu Chimantá 2004, Venezuela. Cueva Charles Brewer – Najväčšia kvarcitová jaskyňa sveta. Spravodaj Slovenskej speleologickej spoločnosti 36(3) (mimoriadne číslo): 3-10. Liptovský Mikuláš.
Audy, M. & B. Šmída. 2006. Tepui 2005 – 4th expedition of discoveries of the World largest caves in quartzites. Speleofórum 25: 25-28. Praha.
Audy, M., R. Tásler & Ch. Brewer Carías. 2008. Tepui 2007 – Sistema de la Araña. Speleofórum 27: 44-49. Praha.
Audy, Marek 2008. Brány do ZTRACENÉHO SVĚTA. Unikátní objevy na stolovych horách Venezuely. 175p. Brno, Nakladatelství JOTA .
Audy, M. & Ch. Brewer-Carías. 2009. Tepui – speleological expeditions to the quartz caves of Venezuela. In: Motyčka, Z. & V. Vlčková (Eds.). Czech Speleological Society 2005-2008. Česká speleo- logická společnost, Praha, pp: 44-50.
Audy, M., Ch. Brewer-Carías & R. Bouda. 2010. Tepui 2009 – Sistema Muchimuk – nejdelší křemencová jeskyně světa. Speleofórum 29: 42-48. Praha.
Audy, M. & P. Kalenda. 2010. Nástin geneze jeskyní silikátového krasu Guyanské vysočiny. Speleofórum 29: 161-165. Praha.
Audy, Marek, 2013. Domino – hra v podkroví Ztraceného světa, 208 p., Brno, Czech speleological society, ISBN 978-80-87857-15-1.
Audy, M., Geršl. M., Matýsek. D., 2013: Křemenné, moganitové a sádrovcové speleotémy z křemencové jeskyně Cueva Brewer – Venezuela. Speleofórum, 32, str. 84-87.
Audy, M., Vlček L. 2016. Acopán – speleological research of a new tepui in Venezuela. Speleofórum 35/2016: 64-69. Praha.
Barrio-Amorós, C. L., J. Mesa, Ch. Brewer-Carías & R. W. McDiarmid. 2010. A new Pristimantis (Anura, Terrarana, Strabomantidae) from Churi-tepui in the Chimanta massif, Venezuelan Guayana. Zootaxa 2483: 35-44. Auckland.
Breure, A. S. H. & J. Schlögl. 2010. Additional notes on Orthalicidae from the Chimantá massif, Venezuelan Guayana, with descriptions of new species of Plekocheilus Guilding, 1828 (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Zootaxa 2416: 51-60. Auckland. www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ , Magnolia Press
Brewer-Carías, Ch. 2005. Las Espeleotemas de la Cueva Charles Brewer. In: Michelangeli, A. (Ed.). Tepuy, Colosos de la Tierra. Fundación Terramar, Altolitho, Caracas, pp: 311-328.
Brewer-Carias, Charles. 2005. En las Entrañas del Mundo Perdido, pp. 293-297. En: Tepuy, Colosos de la Tierra. Armando Michelangeli Ayala, Editor. Impreso por Carlos Capriles de Altolitho C.A. 344 p. Caracas.
Brewer-Carías, Charles y Marek Audy 2011-a. Entrañas del Mundo Perdido. Impreso por Carlos Capriles de Altolitho C.A. Caracas, Venezuela. 291 p. ISBN: 978-980-12-4763-0 (book). LINK: http://audy.speleo.cz/entranas.pdf
Brewer-Carías, Ch. 2011-b. El Sistema Charles Brewer. Revista Río Verde, No-4, pp. 67-84. Caracas.
Chacón, A., J. Mesa & F. Mayoral. 2006. La Cueva Charles Brewer. Faces. Ecotourism & Adventure 3(13): 28-53. Caracas.
Chiappe, G. 2006 a. Pequeños arbolitos marcianos viven en una cueva venezolana. El Universal, (octubre 18, 2006): 3-7. Caracas.
Chiappe, G. 2006 b. Ecosistema de cueva guayanesa simula a Marte. El Universal, (octubre 20, 2006): 3-6. Caracas.
Davies, V. 2008. La vida más antigua del planeta. Descubrimiento, el Ex- plorador Charles Brewer encontró una cueva dentro de un tepui. Las bioespeleotemas parecen piedras que crecen. El Nacional, Martes 19 de agosto de 2008: 3-6. Caracas.
Derka, T., M. Svitok & J. Schlögl. 2009. Massartella hirsuta sp. nov. (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae: Atalophlebiinae) and new data on mayflies of Guyana Highlands. Aquatic Insects, International Journal of Freshwater Entomology 31: 83-94. London.
Derka, T., J. M. Tierno de Figueroa & M. Gamboa. 2010. First records of Plecoptera from Pantepui biogegraphical province, with the first record of genus Kempnyia for Venezuela (Insecta: Plecoptera). Bo- letín de la Asociación Española de Entomología 33(3-4) [2009]: 493-502. Madrid.
Derka, T. & P. Fedor. 2010. Hydrolutos breweri sp. n., a new aquatic Lutosini species (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) from Churí-tepui (Chimantá Massif, Venezuela). Zootaxa 2653: 51-59. Auckland.
Derka, Tomas and Carmen Zamora-Muñoz. 2012. Caddisflies (Insecta, Trichoptera) of the Pantepui biogeographical province. Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 36 (1-2): 7-30, 2012.
Derka, Tomas, Carolina Nieto & Marek Svitok. 2012. Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Pantepui Biogeographical Province. Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent., 36 (1-2): 119-135, 2012
Hernandez, D. R. 2005. EXPLORACION / La formación fue bautizada como Charles Brewer Carías. Una cueva sale del anonimato. El Universal, (octubre 02, 2005): 4-6. Caracas.
Kaštovský, Jan, Jana Veselá1, Markéta Bohunická1, Karolina Fučíková2,
Lenka Stenclová1 & Charles Brewer-Carías. 2016. “New and unusual species of cyanobacteria, diatoms and green algae, with a description of a new genus Ekerewekia gen. nov. (Chlorophyta) from the table mountain Churí-tepui, Chimantá Massif (Venezuela)”. Phytotaxa 247 (3): 153-180. Magnolia Press. ISBN: 1179-3163.
KAŠTOVSKÝ, JAN, KAROLINA FUČÍKOVÁ, JANA VESELÁ, CHARLES BREWER-CARÍAS, TERESA VEGAS-VILLARRÚBIA 2019.
“Algae”, in : Biodiversity of Pantepui, Chapter 5. pp.95-120. Elsevier Inc.
Lundberg, J., Ch. Brewer-Carias & D. A. McFarlane. 2010a. Preliminary results from U-Th dating of glacial-interglacial deposition cycles in a silica speleothem from Venezuela. Quaternary Research 74(1): 113-120. Washington.
Lundberg, J., D. A. McFarlane & Ch. Brewer-Carias. 2010b. An extraordi- nary example of photokarren in a sandstone cave, Cueva Charles Brewer, Chimantá Plateau, Venezuela: Biogeomorphology on a small scale. Geomorphology 121(3-4): 342-357. Amsterdam.
Lundberg, Joyce; Charles Brewer-Carías; and Donald A. McFarlane. 2018. On biospeleothems from a Venezuelan tepui cave: U-Th dating, growth rates, and morphology. International Journal of Speleology, 47: 361-378. Tampa, Florida
Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/ijs/vol47/iss3/6
Marbach, G. & L.-H. Fage. 2006. Cueva Charles Brewer. In: Marbach, G. (Ed.). Le Continent invisible. Trésors et mystères du monde-souter- rain. Voyage et Nature. Glénat Editions, Grenoble, pp: 38-43.
Mayoral, F. 2006. La cueva de cuarcita más grande del mundo. Entre So- cios, Abril 2006: 58-65. Caracas.
Mecchia, Marco, Francesco Sauro, Carla Corongiu, Vittorio Crobu. 2009. Esplorazioni Speleologiche Nelle Quarziti del Massiccio Chimantá, Gran Sabana, Venzuela. Supplemento a KUR magazine no 12. Giuugno 2009. Allegato tecnico16p. LA VENTA Esplorazioni Geografiche.
Moravec, J., R. Mlejnek & R. Guerrero. (In prep.). Dyscolus (Brewerites, subgen. nov.) audyi sp. nov., a new endogean Platynini (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalinae) from the Sistema Charles Brewer (Churí-tepui, Chimantá Massif) in Venezuela. Zootaxa. Auckland.
Nieto, Carolina & Tomas Derka, 2011. Parakari a new genus of the family Baetidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from Guyana Highlands. Zootaxa, 3032: 47-59.
NIETO, CAROLINA & TOMÁŠ DERKA. 2012. A new species of the genus Spiritiops Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae) from the Pantepui biogeographical province. Zootaxa 3256: 58–63. Magnolia Press.
Palacios Pru, E. 2006. Polémica sobre la cueva Charles Brewer. (Una Carta del Dr. Palacios Pru criticando los descubrimientos). Revista ZETA, junio 23, 2006: 44. Caracas.
Palmitesta Riveros, R. C. 2006a. El mayor descubrimiento científico del siglo, La Cueva Charles Brewer en Venezuela. Revista ZETA, mayo 5, 2006: 58-61. Caracas.
Palmitesta Riveros, R. C. 2006b. En Bolívar encuentran muestras de vida Marciana (cueva Charles Brewer). Revista ZETA, junio 21, 2006: 34-36. Caracas.
Palmitesta Riveros, R. C. 2006c. El misterio de la cueva (Cueva Charles Brewer y Carta del Dr. Palacios Pru criticando...). Revista ZETA, junio 23, 2006: 42-43. Caracas.
Palmitesta Riveros, R. C. 2006d. Ratificada la similitud de la Cueva Charles Brewer con Marte. Revista ZETA, julio 21, 2006: 46-47. Caracas.
Palmitesta Riveros, R. C. 2007. La cena que llevó a la mayor cueva del Mundo. Revista ZETANo 1604, marzo 30, 2007: 26-28. Caracas.
Ramos Zibert, L. R. 2006. Cueva Charles Brewer, La cueva de cuarcitas mas grande del mundo. Nuevas Fronteras, Marzo (31): 34- 40. Long Beach, CA.
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Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8. (book).
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Cave Systems in Churí and Roraima tepuis – geomorphology, speleogenesis and speleothems. Pp. 9-111. En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Faunistic Investigations of the Pantepui Biogeographical Region. -3.1 The Pantepui Malacofauna, Land Snails of Churi-tepui and Other Tepuis in Southern Venezuela and adjacent áreas (Abraham Breure) pp.113-124 - En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8. (Al inicio de este trabajo se acredita a Brewer-Carias el termino “Islands in Time” para describir el aislamiento de las plantasyanimales de las cumbres de los tepuyes).
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Faunistic Investigations of the Pantepui Biogeographical Region. -3.2 Major Groups of Aquatic Insects of Pantepui (Thomas Derka) Pp. 124-140, - En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8.
Aubrecht, Roman, César Barrio-Amorós, Abraham Breure, Charles Brewer-Carías, Tomas Derka, Oswaldo A. Fuentes Ramos, Milos Gregor, Ján Kodada, Lubomir Kovácik, Tomás Lánczos, Natuschka M. Lee, Pavel Liscak, Ján Schlögl, Branislav Šmída, Lukás Vlcek. 2012. Faunistic Investigations of the Pantepui Biogeographical Region., -3.3 Major Groups of Aquatic Insects of Pantepui (Cesar Barrio-Amorós, Oswaldo Fuentes) Pp. 140-152 - En: Venezuelan Tepuis, Their Caves and Biota. Acta Geologica Slovaca AGEOS. Monograph, Comenius University, Bratislava, pp. 168. ISBN: 978-80-223-3349-8.
Aubrecht, R., Lánczos, T., Gregor, M., Schlögl, J., Šmída, B., Lišák, P., Brewer-Carías, C., Vlcek, L. 2013. Reply to the Comment on "Sandstone caves on Venezuelan tepuis: Return to pseudokarst?". Geomorphology
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