Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 3 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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M. Boussingault
states that these singular Morros de San Juan, which furnish a
limestone with crystalline grains, and thermal springs, are hollow,
and contain immense grottos filled with stalactites, which appear to
have been anciently inhabited by the natives.)
The calcareous soil of the littoral Cordillera prevails most on the
east of Cape Unare, in the southern chain; it extends to the gulf of
Paria, opposite the island of Trinidad, where we find gypsum of Guire,
containing sulphur. I have been informed that in the northern chain
also, in the Montana de Paria, and near Carupana, secondary calcareous
formations are found, and that they only begin to show themselves on
the east of the ridge of rock called the Cerro de Meapire, which joins
the calcareous group of Guacharo to the mica-slate group of the
peninsula of Araya; but I have not had an opportunity of ascertaining
the accuracy of this information. The calcareous stratum of the
southern chain is composed of two formations which appear to be very
distinct the one from the other: namely limestone of Cumanacoa and
that of Caripe. When I was on the spot the former appeared to me to
have some analogy with zechstein, or Alpine limestone; the latter with
Jura limestone; I even thought that the granular gypsum of Guire might
be that which belongs in Europe to zechstein, or is placed between
zechstein and variegated sandstone. Strata of quartzose sandstone,
alternating with slaty clay, cover the limestone of Cumanacoa, Cerro
del Imposible, Turimiquiri, Guarda de San Agustin, and the Jura
limestone in the province of Barcelona (Aguas Calientes). According to
their position these sandstones may be considered as belonging to the
formation of green sandstone, or sandstone with lignites below chalk.
But if, as I thought I observed at Cocollar, sandstone forms strata in
the Alpine limestone before it is superposed, it appears doubtful
whether the sandstone of the Imposible, and of Aguas Calientes,
constitute one series.
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