Cave of the Crystals
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| Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of the Crystals) | |
|---|---|
| File:Caveofcrystals.jpg A man standing in the cave. | |
| Location | Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 27°51′3″N 105°29′47″W / 27.85083°N 105.49639°W |
| Translation | Cave of the Crystals (Spanish) |
Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of the Crystals) is a cave of the Naica Mine in Chihuahua, Mexico. The chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found.[1] The cave's largest crystal is 11.0 m (36.1 ft) in length, 4.0 m (13.1 ft) in diameter and 55 tons in weight. The cave is about 30 m (98 ft) in length and 10 m (33 ft) in width. The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 112 °F (44 °C) with 90 to 100 percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored because humans can only survive for approximately ten minutes without proper protection.[2]
While Naica miners are accustomed to finding crystals, in April 2000, brothers Juan and Pedro Sanchez were drilling a new tunnel when they made the discovery. The brothers immediately informed the engineer in charge, Roberto Gonzalez. Ing. Gonzalez realized that they had discovered a natural treasure and quickly rerouted the tunnel. During this phase some damage was done as several miners tried to remove pieces of the mega-crystals, so the mining company soon installed an iron door to protect the find.
Formation of the crystals
Naica lies on an ancient fault and there is an underground magma chamber below the cave. The magma heated the ground water and it became saturated with minerals, including large quantities of gypsum. The hollow space of the cave was filled with this mineral rich hot water and remained filled for about 500,000 years. During this time, the temperature of the water remained very stable at over 50°C. This allowed microscopic crystals to form and grow. They continued to grow to immense sizes.[3]
References
- ^ Lovgren, Stefan (April 6, 2007). "Giant Crystal Cave's Mystery Solved". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ Shea, Neil (November 2008). "Crystal palace". National Geographic Magazine. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ www.stormchaser.ca
External links
- Discovery Channel - Crystal Cave photos
- Canyons World Wide
- Crystal Cave of Giants
- thecrystalgiants.com
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