THE AMAZON

THE AMAZON, PART I: Origin of the Amazon Basin
By William W. Lamar

Eons prior to the Panama Canal the Atlantic Ocean brushed lips with the Pacific across a tranquil strait dividing the great landmass that is modern South America. What we call Venezuela and the Guianas formed an ancient Tertiary fortress that blocked the open Atlantic to the north, while what is now Brazil and the rest of the continent, by dint of sheer size, kept the oceans apart to the south. After two of the earth’s plates, in a Miocene crash of epic proportions, dueled to a tectonic tie, the Andes emerged, magnificent and gleaming, from a sea of roiling foam. 

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http://www.greentracks.com/pub/Amazon-part-1.html 


THE AMAZON, PART II: Discovery of the Amazon
By William W. Lamar

 There is an ancient cemetery at Triana, on the Guadalquivir River in Spain. Its gravestones and plaques are mute reminders of a colorful Sevillian culture and tradition from Moors and Sephardis to gypsies, flamenco dancers, matadors, and ceramicists to Torquemada and The Inquisition.


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http://www.greentracks.com/pub/Amazon-part-2.html