In 2000 the suggestive was discovered Crystal Cavelocated about 300 meters below the surface of the Sierra de Naica Mountaina Chihuahua, in Mexico. This cavern is home to some of the largest known crystals on the planet, and is known to be both beautiful and deadly.
The Crystal Cavewhich occupies a U-shaped cavern deep inside the mountain, measures 30 meters by 10 meters and is covered entirely by enormous cloudy white selenite gypsum crystals. Do you think the tallest crystal in the world inside the cave it weighs well 12 tonsAnd long 1 meter e 11.4 meters highwhich is six times the height of a human being.
However, this amazing cave is closed to the public as conditions inside are both treacherous and potentially deadly. With a internal temperature stable of approx 58°C e humidity levels which I understood between 90 and 99%therefore spending more than 10 minutes in the cave without protection could lead to a buildup of fluid in the lungs and therefore death.
To be able to withstand the internal conditions of the cave, the teams that go “hunting” for crystals must equip themselves with protective suits with respirators that provide them with fresh air. This allows you to extend your exploration time from about 10 minutes to 15-60 minutes.
In any case, despite the protective devices and adequate equipment, the very smooth surfaces covered with condensation of the crystals prove dangerous to be able to pass through the interior. THE crystalssome of which weigh over 50 tonsare made in gessoa soft mineral with a Mohs scale strength score of only 2. This means that the crystals are likely to crack and move under the pressure of foot traffic.
The mountain, which contains a number of giant gypsum crystal caves, was formed about 26 million years ago from a mound of magma stretched against the earth’s surface. The caves in the mountain filled with warm waters rich in calcium sulphate which in turn allowed the growth of crystals.
While calcium sulfate can form several minerals, the dominant mineral in the mountain’s cave system is a transparent variety of gypsum called selenite. As the water temperature decreased, conditions dropped below the anhydrite’s zone of high stability, dissolving the mineral. The gypsum crystals began to form when the water temperature in the cave reached about 58°C.