magma chamber and the original thickness of the granitic body was much larger than the present exposure." The granitic body of the Pedra da Gávea could also correspond to the eastern extension of the nearby Pedra Branca Granite Massif, according to Akihisa Motoki et al. Differential weathering incised the northern side of the mountain, producing cavities underneath the granite dome. The abrupt dome itself is the result of the more durable granite having resisted the aforementioned weathering more so than the softer gneiss. Furthermore, erosion has worn etches into the mountain's sides. The mountain is covered in lemon, orange, breadfruit, banana, and papaya trees, as well as cannas and roses. Archaeological interest There is a purported inscription carved into the rockface, which some claim is in Phoenician, a Semitic language known to modern scholars only from inscriptions. According to Paul Herrmann in his book Conquests by Man, the inscription on the mountain had been known for quite some time, but had merely been attributed to "some unknown prehistoric American people". Closer examination, however, led some researchers to believe it was of Phoenician origin. Today, however, most researchers suggest that the inscription and "face" are merely the results of erosion. In the mid-1950s, the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Health denied that the site featured any writing, declaring "that examination by geologists had proved it to be nothing more than the effect of weather erosion which happened to look like an inscription." Brazilian archaeologists and scholars have adopted a negative attitude toward the treatment of the site, with Herrmann noting that "Brazilian archaeology denies altogether the existence of Phoenician inscription in any part of the country whatsoever." See also Geography of Brazil Pareidolia Serra dos %C3%93rg%C3%A3os Sugarloaf Mountain and Urca Hill Natural Monument References Bibliography Mountains of Brazil Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact Pseudoarchaeology Geography of Rio de Janeiro (city) Hyperdiffusionism Landforms of Rio de Janeiro (state)