geologise:

Cave Of The Crystals | Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico

I remember when this was first discovered, and how blown away I was when photos were released of this magnificent wonder. There’s a documentary out there called, “Naica: Beyond The Crystal Cave” and another that hits on other sister caves as well, “Into The Lost Crystal Caves”. Definitely interesting if you want to watch them go through the cave to get samples and explore. A dangerous but extremely satisfying task! Here’s a bit of information on the Crystal Caves in Naica, Mexico.

• It contains some of the largest (in size, mass, length, etc) natural crystals ever found on Earth. A Gypsum beam was found to be 11 metres (36 feet) in length, 4 metres (13 feet) in width, and weigh around 55 tons.
• It is found in a horseshoe-shaped cavity of limestone rock, which used to be full of mineral-rich hot water, but has since been kept drained.
• The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity.
• The cave was filled with mineral-rich hot water (a constant 50 °C+) for around 500,000 years, which let these crystals form under the right conditions.

I’ve added a few links that take you to more photos and articles as well (along with its sister caves).

• Return To The Crystal Caves
• Giant Crystal Cave Comes To Light
• Cave Of The Crystals
• Giant Crystal Caves Yield New “Ice Palace”

The first time I saw these pix I was convinced they were shooped.  This just doesn’t seem possible.  BUT IT’S REAL.