Cave of the Crystals
| Cueva de los Cristales | |
|---|---|
| (Cave of the Crystals) | |
 Gypsum crystals in the Naica cave. Note person for scale | |
| Location | Naica, Saucillo Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 27°51′3″N 105°29′47″W / 27.85083°N 105.49639°W |
| Depth | 300 m (980 ft) |
| Length | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Discovery | 2000 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Hazards | High temperature (58 °C) and humidity (~ 99 %) |
| Access | Privately owned |
Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave (Spanish: Cueva de los Cristales) is a cave connected to the Naica Mine 300 metres (980 ft) below the surface in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals (gypsum, CaSO4·2 H2O), some of the largest natural crystals ever found.[1] The cave's largest crystal found to date is 12 m (39 ft) in length, 4 m (13 ft) in diameter and 55 tons in weight. The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F)[2] with 90 to 99 percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored due to these factors.[3] Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.[4]
A group of scientists known as the Naica Project have been heavily involved in researching these caverns.[5]
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 (122 °F). This allowed crystals to form and grow to immense sizes.[6]
Discovery
In 1910 miners discovered a cavern beneath the Naica mine workings, the Cave of Swords (Spanish: Cueva de las Espadas). It is located at a depth of 120 m, above the Cave of Crystals, and contains spectacular, smaller (1 m long) crystals. It is speculated that at this level, transition temperatures may have fallen much more rapidly, leading to an end in the growth of the crystals.[1]
The Giant Crystal cave was discovered in 2000 by miners excavating a new tunnel for the Industrias Peñoles mining company located in Naica, Mexico,[7] while drilling through the Naica fault, which they were concerned would flood the mine.[8] The mining complex in Naica contains substantial deposits of silver, zinc and lead.
The Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone. Its floor is covered with perfectly-faceted crystalline blocks. Huge crystal beams jut out from both the blocks and the floor. The caves are accessible today because the mining company's pumping operations keep them clear of water. If the pumping were stopped, the caves would again be submerged. The crystals deteriorate in air, so the Naica Project is attempting to visually document the crystals before they deteriorate further.[9]
Two other smaller caverns were also discovered in 2000, the Queen’s Eye Cave and the Candles’ Cave,[9] and a further chamber was found in a drilling project in 2009. The new cave, named the Ice Palace, is 150 m deep and is not flooded, but its crystal formations are much smaller, with small 'cauliflower' formations and fine, threadlike crystals.[10]
Exploration and scientific studies
A scientific team coordinated by Paolo Forti, specialist of cave minerals and crystallographer at the University of Bologna (Italy) explored the cave in detail in 2006. To survive and to be able to work in the extreme temperature and humid conditions which prevent prolonged incursion in the crystal chamber, they developed their own refrigerated suits and cold breathing systems (respectively dubbed Tolomea suit and Sinusit respirator). Special caving overalls were fitted with a mattress of refrigerating tubes placed all over the body and connected to a backpack weighing about 20 kg (44 lbs) containing a reservoir filled with cold water and ice. The latent heat of ice fusion was sufficient to provide about half an hour of autonomy.
Beside mineralogical and crystallographic studies, biogeochemical and microbial characterization of the gypsum giant crystals were also performed. Stein-Erik Lauritzen (University of Bergen, Norway) performed uranium-thorium dating to determine the maximum age of the giant crystals, about 500,000 years.[11][12][13]
Penelope Boston (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology), speleologist and geomicrobiologist specialist of extremophile organisms realized sterile sampling of gypsum drillcores by making small boreholes inside large crystals under aseptic conditions. The aim was to detect the possible presence of ancient bacteria encapsulated inside fluid and solid inclusions present the calcium sulfate matrix from its formation.
Solid inclusions mainly consist of magnesium and iron oxy-hydroxide but no organic matter could be found associated with the solid hydroxides. No DNA from ancient bacteria could be extracted from the solid inclusions and amplified by PCR.
Microbial studies on fluid inclusions are foreseen to attempt to evidence the presence of ancient micro-organisms in the original fluid solution in which the crystals developed.
Other researches also cover the fields of palynology (pollen study), geochemistry, hydrogeology and the physical conditions prevailing in the Cave of Crystal.
Future closure
The cave was featured on the Discovery Channel program Naica: Beyond The Crystal Cave in February 2011. Exploration hinted at the existence of further chambers, but further exploration would have required demolition of the crystals. It was stated that the cave would eventually be resealed and the water level allowed to rise again.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b Lovgren, Stefan (2007-04-06). "Giant crystal cave's mystery solved". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ "Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Light". Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ BBC (19 January 2010). "A rare glimpse of the cave of crystals". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
- ^ Shea, Neil (November 2008). "Crystal palace". National Geographic magazine. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ "NAICA Project web site". NAICA Project. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ Crystal Cave of Giants, Naica, Mexico – Sept. 2009. www.stormchaser.ca. Retrieved on 2012-02-01.
- ^ Naica, Mun. de Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico. Mindat.org
- ^ Mexico's Cave of Giant Crystals. crystalinks.com
- ^ a b Visual rescue at Naica Project
- ^ Than, Ker (2010-10-07). "Giant crystal caves yield new "Ice Palace," more". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
- ^ Stein-Erik, Lauritzen (2008). Chronology and growth rate of the Naica giant gypsum crystals. 33rd International Geological Congress (IGC). UiB.
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Sanna, L. (2009). Preliminary U/Th dating of gypsum crystals from Naica caves (Mexico).
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Sanna, Laura (2011). "Preliminary U/Th dating and the evolution of gypsum crystals in Naica caves (Mexico)". Acta Carsologica. 40 (1): 17–28. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "NAICA: "Beyond the crystal cave and deadly descent" video reveals worlds beneath the Earth's surface, February 13 on Discovery Channel" (Press release). ctvmedia.com. February 8, 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
External links
- Naica Project, comprehensive website on the Crystal Caves with geology, history, photos and videos
- BBC page on the cave with video
- Giant Crystal project
- Crystal Cave of Giants, account of a 2009 visit by George Kourounis