At one point in time, this area was one gigantic landmass. Eventually, however, the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates collided with one another, breaking up the massive landmass into hundreds of flat-topped mountains, or tepuis, meaning "house of spirits". Thus lifting Mount Roraima, the largest of these tepuis, above land.
Chain of tepuis forced upward by tectonic plates in Pakaraima mountains
Though the collision of tectonic plates causes uplifting of breath-taking landforms, its collision creates other consequences as well. One of the most dramatic consequences of this includes huge sinkholes at the summit of these mountains. In fact, one of the plateaus in the Pakaraima mountain chain has a sinkhole that is almost 1,000 feet deep!
El Foso, a 300 meter-deep sinkhole at the summit of Mount Roraima shows a more dramatic effect of Earth's plates motion caused by tectonic plate collision
A less dramatic effect of plate collision, visitors and hikers will enjoy the natural jacuzzis Mount Roraima provides
The location of these beautiful tepuis creates isolation. With that being said, geologists have tested the molten rocks that have crept its way up between the layers of sandstone after said tectonic collision to date their origins. They have concluded the sandstone to be at least 1.8 billion years old, thus making this mountain chain to be one of the oldest land formations on Earth.
Fun fact: Since there are no natural predators or human life atop the large mountain, 30% of all animal and plant species that reside in this area are unique to Mount Roraima, including mosses, flowers, and insects. They have adapted to the harsh conditions the mountains inhibit and cannot be found anywhere else in the entire world!
Tiny frog endemic to Mount Roraima
http://www.beyondnootka.com/articles/roraima.html
http://www.theorangemango.com/the-lost-world-mount-roraima/
http://books.google.com/books?id=J5F4AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=mount+roraima+tectonic+plates&source=bl&ots=2nBm3Or0q8&sig=TeADmJfDLTuBtHyGCP4HLdOqy3M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ei4TVN_vBNH5yQSY4IK4Dw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=mount%20roraima%20tectonic%20plates&f=false
