This tepui (table-top mountain or mesa), located in the Bolívar state, is one of the largest (but not the highest) tepuis in the Guiana Highlands, with a summit area of 666.9 km² and an estimated slope area of 715 km². Angel Falls or Salto Ángel (979 m high, with an uninterrupted descent of 807 m), the tallest waterfall in the world, drops from a cleft near the summit.

Note: the word tepui means "mountain" or "house of the gods" in the native language of the Pemón, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana region. Auyán-tepui means "Devil's Mountain" or "Devil's House".

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Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

10 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

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Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

ⓘ Orthoquartzite

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Alunite ?

Formula: KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆

Locality: Imawarì Yeuta cave, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

References:

Sauro, F., De Vivo, A., Vergara, F., De Waele, J. (2013) Imawarì Yeuta: a new giant cave system in the quartz sandstones of the Auyan Tepui, Bolivar state, Venezuela. Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Speleology, 2, 19-27.

Ghezzi, Daniele, Foschi, Lisa, Firrincieli, Andrea, Hong, Pei-Ying, Vergara, Freddy, De Waele, Jo, Sauro, Francesco, Cappelletti, Martina (2022) Insights into the microbial life in silica-rich subterranean environments: microbial communities and ecological interactions in an orthoquartzite cave (Imawarì Yeuta, Auyan Tepui, Venezuela) Frontiers in Microbiology, 13. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.930302

ⓘ Calcite

Formula: CaCO₃

Locality: Cueva Guacamaya, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

References:

Sauro, F., De Waele, J., Forti, P., Ermanno, G., Vergara, F. (2013) Speleogenesi e speleotemi di opale della Cueva Guacamaya, Auyan Tepui, Gran Sabana, Venezuela. In: Cucchi, F., Gudi, P. (eds.), Atti del XXI Congresso Nazionale di Speleologia “Diffusione delle conoscenze”, Sessione Attività di esplorazione e ricerca. Trieste 2-5 giugno 2011. Edizioni Università di Trieste, Trieste, 461-469.

ⓘ Goethite

Formula: Fe³⁺O(OH)

Localities:

ⓘ Gwihabaite

Formula: (NH₄,K)NO₃

Locality: Sima Aonda Superior, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

References:

BOLETÍN INFORMATIVO DE LA COMISIÓN DE GEOESPELEOLOGÍA (Federación Espeleológica de América Latina y el Caribe -FEALC-) No. 13, Octubre 1999

ⓘ Gypsum

Formula: CaSO₄ · 2H₂O

Localities:

Cueva Guacamaya, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela
Imawarì Yeuta cave, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela
Sima Aonda Superior, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

ⓘ Opal

Formula: SiO₂ · nH₂O

Localities:

ⓘ Pyrophyllite

Formula: Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂

Locality: Cueva Guacamaya, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

References:

ⓘ Quartz

Formula: SiO₂

Localities:

ⓘ Rossiantonite ?

Formula: Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄

Locality: Imawarì Yeuta cave, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

References:

ⓘ Sanjuanite ?

Formula: Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O

Locality: Imawarì Yeuta cave, Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui), Gran Sabana Municipality, Bolívar, Venezuela

References:

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘ	Goethite	4.00.	Fe³⁺O(OH)
ⓘ	Quartz	4.DA.05	SiO₂
ⓘ	Opal	4.DA.10	SiO₂ · nH₂O
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘ	Calcite	5.AB.05	CaCO₃
ⓘ	Gwihabaite	5.NA.15	(NH₄,K)NO₃
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
ⓘ	Alunite ?	7.BC.10	KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆
ⓘ	Gypsum	7.CD.40	CaSO₄ · 2H₂O
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
ⓘ	Sanjuanite ?	8.DB.30	Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O
ⓘ	Rossiantonite ?	8.DB.50	Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘ	Pyrophyllite	9.EC.10	Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂

List of minerals for each chemical element

H	Hydrogen
H	ⓘ Alunite	KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆
H	ⓘ Goethite	Fe³⁺O(OH)
H	ⓘ Gypsum	CaSO₄ · 2H₂O
H	ⓘ Opal	SiO₂ · nH₂O
H	ⓘ Pyrophyllite	Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
H	ⓘ Sanjuanite	Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O
H	ⓘ Gwihabaite	(NH₄,K)NO₃
H	ⓘ Rossiantonite	Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄
C	Carbon
C	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
N	Nitrogen
N	ⓘ Gwihabaite	(NH₄,K)NO₃
O	Oxygen
O	ⓘ Alunite	KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆
O	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
O	ⓘ Goethite	Fe³⁺O(OH)
O	ⓘ Gypsum	CaSO₄ · 2H₂O
O	ⓘ Opal	SiO₂ · nH₂O
O	ⓘ Pyrophyllite	Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
O	ⓘ Quartz	SiO₂
O	ⓘ Sanjuanite	Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O
O	ⓘ Gwihabaite	(NH₄,K)NO₃
O	ⓘ Rossiantonite	Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄
Al	Aluminium
Al	ⓘ Alunite	KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆
Al	ⓘ Pyrophyllite	Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
Al	ⓘ Sanjuanite	Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O
Al	ⓘ Rossiantonite	Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄
Si	Silicon
Si	ⓘ Opal	SiO₂ · nH₂O
Si	ⓘ Pyrophyllite	Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
Si	ⓘ Quartz	SiO₂
P	Phosphorus
P	ⓘ Sanjuanite	Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O
P	ⓘ Rossiantonite	Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄
S	Sulfur
S	ⓘ Alunite	KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆
S	ⓘ Gypsum	CaSO₄ · 2H₂O
S	ⓘ Sanjuanite	Al₂(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH) · 9H₂O
S	ⓘ Rossiantonite	Al₃(PO₄)(SO₄)₂(OH)₂(H₂O)₁₄
K	Potassium
K	ⓘ Alunite	KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆
K	ⓘ Gwihabaite	(NH₄,K)NO₃
Ca	Calcium
Ca	ⓘ Calcite	CaCO₃
Ca	ⓘ Gypsum	CaSO₄ · 2H₂O
Fe	Iron
Fe	ⓘ Goethite	Fe³⁺O(OH)

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auy%C3%A1n-tepui
Wikidata ID:	Q126063

Localities in this Region

Venezuela

Bolívar
- Gran Sabana Municipality
  - Auyán-tepui (Auyán-tepuy; Ayan Tepui)

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

South AmericaContinent

South America PlateTectonic Plate

Amazonian CratonCraton
Maroni-Itacaiunas BeltShield

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

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