Sima Humboldt

The Humboldt Sima Cave (also Humboldt Sima or Sima Mayor) is a huge sink and cave located on top of the Tepuy Sarisariñama plateau, part of the Jaua-Sarisariñama National Park in Bolívar State, Venezuela. It is the largest Abyss in the World. It is unusual for several reasons, including its enormous size and depth, its location on top of a jungle-covered tepuy, with part of the jungle at its base, and also due to the quartzite process that formed this sump in the open. It is named after the German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt. Along with neighboring Chasm Martel it was first sighted in 1961 by pilot Harry Gibson. The first successful landing in the Sarisariñama is made by William H. Phelps in March 1967. In February 1974 he attended an expedition led by Charles Brewer-Carías, accompanied by scientists and botanist Julian Steyermark, the Stalky orchid experts. Dunsterville and his wife Nora and ornithologist William H. Phelps Jr. at that time the sinks were analyzed Its volume is 18 million cubic meters, while the maximum width at its upper edge is 352 m and 502 m below. Just 700 m from the edge of the Humboldt chasm there is another huge sink, the Martel chasm. In total there are four quartzite caves in Sarisariñama.