The Cave Of Crystals is also known as the Giant Crystal Cave, owing to the mammoth-sized crystals that exist within this cave.This famous crystal cave is a part of the Naica mine in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico, which is located around 980 ft (300 m) below the ground. This crystal cave can be found deep below a mountain which in itself is rich in silver, lead, and zinc and is owned by the largest silver mining company in the world, Industrias Peñoles.The Cave Of Crystals was called a natural marvel by the crystallographer, Juan Manuel García Ruiz, of the University of Granada in Spain. When Juan Manuel García Ruiz entered the Cave Of Crystals, he was astonished as the cave contained some of the world’s largest crystals, measuring 36 ft (11 m) in length and weighing up to 55 tons (49,895 kg). The Giant crystal cave has often been described as a horseshoe-shaped cavity made up of limestone rock like the rest of the Naica mine. The cave itself has a considerably large size with a length of 90 ft (30 m) and a width of 30 ft (10 m). Interestingly, many of these giant crystals have grown from the floor of the cave, which is covered in crystalline, or from the faceted blocks, which is a sight to behold. In one of his interviews, Juan Manuel García Ruiz stated, that there is no other place on the planet where the mineral world reveals itself in such beauty. This Cave Of Crystals is particularly well known for its giant gypsum crystals, also known as selenite crystals. Let us now delve deeper into these caves and find out how they were discovered in the past, how these gigantic crystals were formed, and what their importance is in the current day.Discovery Of The Cave Of CrystalsThe Cave Of Crystals is known to contain some of the largest natural crystals ever discovered, but did you know that this crystal cave was discovered by accident and not on purpose. Let us take a closer look at how a couple of workers at the Industrias Peñoles discovered this natural marvel at the turn of the 21st century.Did you know that this one-of-a-kind crystal cave was discovered by a pair of brothers, Pedro Sanchez and Juan Sanchez back in April 2000.The two brothers worked as miners for Industrias Peñoles. One fine day, they were excavating an unknown tunnel drilling the Nica fault for the mining company looking for fresh ore deposits.All of a sudden, the brothers saw huge gypsum crystals bigger than an average-sized telephone in a horseshoe-shaped cave.Interestingly, around 90 years ago, before the discovery of the Cave Of Crystals, the miners had discovered a cavern called the Cave of Swords.The Cave of Swords is located below the Naica mountain but above the giant crystal cave, around 390 ft (120 m) below the Earth’s surface.As the name suggests, the cave of swords also contained crystal beams, but these were smaller crystals in comparison to the ones found in the giant crystal cave.The crystals that were found in the cave of swords were around 3 ft (1 m) in length.Scientists later discovered that it was due to chemical reasons and other temperature-related conditions that the crystals in the Cave of Swords were significantly shorter than the gypsum crystals found in the Cave Of Crystals.Did you know that when the Cave of Crystals was discovered, it was impossible to step inside it due to unrealistic conditions? The temperatures soared to around 136 F (58 C) with humidity levels ranging from 90-100 %.It is due to these extremely hot temperatures and humid conditions that the cave hasn’t been explored completely to date, although researchers have been able to answer a lot of questions about these caves in the time that has passed.History Of The Cave of CrystalsWe now know how the Cave Of Crystals was discovered, but keeping in mind that the crystals discovered were arguably the largest natural crystals, we still don’t know how these crystals grew and what the history of these caves is.Did you know that the Naica mountain is situated above a fault below which lies a magma chamber around 2-3 mi (3-5 km) below the Naica cave?Studies suggest that around 26 million years ago from the present day, a magma mound popped out of the Earth’s surface, giving rise to a mountain in the town of Naica.This popping out of the magma led to all the mineral-rich water flowing into the gaps of the limestone mountain.With the passage of time, the cool surface water containing oxygen came into contact with the mineral-rich water, which was hot. This led to the oxygen being diffused into the hot water.This transfer of oxygen led to the cave being filled with water which was rich in calcium sulfate. The water temperature now plays a pivotal role in the formation of gypsum crystals instead of mineral anhydrite.According to researchers, in the initial years, the crystals that grew in the cave were made of mineral anhydrite, but with the passage of time, the water temperature dipped below 136.4 F (58 C).As the temperatures dropped below the 136.4 F (58 C) mark, the anhydrite crystals dissolved and led to the formation of huge crystal beams of gypsum.In the current day, we see huge crystal beams jut out from the floor of the Cave Of Crystals, it is largely due to the fact that the crystallization process took around 500,000 years to give birth to gypsum crystals of such gigantic sizes.Did you know, after the discovery of the gypsum crystals in the Cave Of Crystals, two other caverns, ‘Candles Cave’ and ‘Queen’s Eye Cave’ were discovered in the same year, but the size of these caves were smaller than that of the Cave Of Crystals.In 2009, during a drilling project at the Naica cave itself, another cavern called the Ice Palace was discovered at a depth of 490 ft (150 m) from the Earth’s surface.Interestingly, the cavern, Ice Palace, wasn’t flooded, which was a surprise, and the crystals it contained were significantly smaller in size, in the shape of a cauliflower. Moreover, many crystals were like fine threads.Fun Facts About The Cave Of CrystalsThe Cave of Crystals is one of the most interesting natural marvels on this planet. Especially for people like Juan Manuel García Ruiz, who are fascinated by these crystals every time they look at them. Let us take a look at some more fascinating and perhaps eye-popping facts about the Cave Of Crystals.Did you know that the crystallographer, Juan Manuel García Ruiz, was intrigued by how the crystals grew to such gigantic sizes and eventually studied the fluids present inside the crystals to reach the solution?According to the research done by Juan Manuel García Ruiz, the mineral-rich water present in the cave along with the temperature created a perfect atmosphere for the crystals to grow. The Cave Of Crystals was called a natural marvel by the crystallographer, Juan Manuel García Ruiz, of the University of Granada in Spain.The previously formulated anhydrite got converted into these gypsum crystals owing to its being present in such particular conditions.Did you know, according to research conducted in 2017, scientists found dormant microbes living inside the crystals that were trapped inside for years?Interestingly, many of these bacteria found inside the crystals did not match with any other existing life form on Earth.Scientists undertook several studies to reach the conclusion that these bacteria had been trapped inside the crystals for a long time, ranging from 10,000-50,000 years.Did you know, in 2011, there was a show called ‘Naica: Beyond The Crystal Cave’ aired on Discovery Channel which featured the Cave Of Crystals.Prior to this, the Cave Of Crystals was also featured on the show called ‘Life After People’.It was in the episode titled ‘Depths of Destruction’ of the second season of the TV series ‘Life After People’ that featured this one-of-a-kind Mexican cave.Moreover, the 311th episode of the television series ‘Angry Planet’ also witnessed these crystal caves being featured on television.Did you know that when scientists and other researchers conducted experiments about the Cave of Crystals, they realized that there were high chances of the existence of some other chambers underneath too?But at the same time, if one were to explore further, a large part of these gypsum crystals would need to be removed.Additionally, it is the mine’s water pumps that determine these crystal caves’ accessibility, as when the mining stops, the caves are re-flooded by the owners of the caves.Did you know that the bacteria that was discovered by NASA scientists ate sulfur and iron while living inside the caves to survive for thousands of years?Due to the extreme temperature conditions within the cave, the Cave of Crystals is currently inaccessible.Did you know, in 2006, Paolo Forti, a crystallographer, and cave mineral specialist led a scientific team to explore the cave and conduct any research?The team had to develop customized suits to be able to survive the hot conditions within the cave.The suits they built had cold-breathing systems. The backpack that the scientific team carried with them weighed a massive 44 lb (20 kg). It contained a reservoir that was filled with ice and cold water.All these preparations were good enough to keep the scientific team healthy for 30 minutes to work inside the Cave Of Crystals.Did you know that the method of uranium-thorium dating was undertaken to determine the age of these giant crystals?The Naica mountain under which the Cave Of Crystals is located is famous for silver. Silver was discovered on this mountain back in 1794.Interestingly, prior to the discovery of silver in these mountains, gold, lead, and zinc were also discovered, but mining began only in the mid-1800s.If you do not have an idea about how fatal it is to go into the Cave Of Crystals without proper protection, remember that fluids can possibly condense inside one’s lungs, which is life-threatening.As of the present day, the Cave Of Crystals is flooded with water as the water pumps cannot keep running forever and especially for no purpose. The cave’s water was pumped out when researchers and miners had to step inside the cave to perform their tasks.Sadly, the Cave Of Crystals, undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind natural marvel, isn’t accessible, largely due to the fact that it is owned by a private mining company, the temperature and humidity levels inside it are unbearable, and also because it is now filled with water.
The Cave Of Crystals is also known as the Giant Crystal Cave, owing to the mammoth-sized crystals that exist within this cave.
