National Geographic article:
Full Version: Mexico's giant crystals
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| Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Light April 9, 2007—Geologist Juan Manuel García-Ruiz calls it "the Sistine Chapel of crystals," but Superman could call it home. A sort of south-of-the-border Fortress of Solitude, Mexico's Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) contains some of the world's largest known natural crystals—translucent beams of gypsum as long as 36 feet (11 meters). How did the crystals reach such superheroic proportions? In the new issue of the journal Geology, García-Ruiz reports that for millennia the crystals thrived in the cave's extremely rare and stable natural environment. Temperatures hovered consistently around a steamy 136 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celsius), and the cave was filled with mineral-rich water that drove the crystals' growth. Modern-day mining operations exposed the natural wonder by pumping water out of the 30-by-90-foot (10-by-30-meter) cave, which was found in 2000 near the town of Delicias (Chihuahua state map). Now García-Ruiz is advising the mining company to preserve the caves. "There is no other place on the planet," García-Ruiz said, "where the mineral world reveals itself in such beauty." The two brothers who discovered this Cave of Crystals "antechamber" dubbed it the Queen's Eye, because the opening leading to it resembled an eye. The cave is 950 feet (290 meters) underground. The Naica mining complex, which yields lead, zinc, copper, silver, and gold, zigzags nearly half a mile underground (760 meters). Deep inside Naica mountain, the Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone rock about 30 feet (10 meters) wide and 90 feet (30 meters) long. Volcanic activity that began about 26 million years ago created Naica mountain and filled it with high-temperature anhydrite gypsum (giant shards of which are pictured above). When magma underneath the mountain cooled and the temperature dropped, the anhydrite began to dissolve. The anhydrite slowly enriched the waters with sulfate and calcium molecules, which for millions of years have been deposited in the caves in the form of huge selenite gypsum crystals. "There is no limit to the size a crystal can reach," geologist Juan Manuel García-Ruiz said. Delicate as glass, the "megacrystals" require great humidity and a temperature of about 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) to maintain their current form. A special door has been constructed to seal off the Cave of Crystals from the rest of the mining complex, which is ventilated to keep it at a comparatively brisk 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). Its walls studded with crystal "daggers," the 400-foot-deep (120-meter-deep) Cave of Swords is closer to the surface than the Cave of Crystals. While there are more crystals in the Cave of Swords, they are far smaller, typically about a yard (a meter) long. Their relative compactness is likely due to a rapid temperature decline, as opposed to the far more gradual change that is believed to have encouraged the megacrystals in the deeper cave. Thanks to the 13,200 gallons (55,000 liters) of water pumped out of the mine every minute, the acres surrounding the mountain have been rendered ready for farming—a rarity in Naica mountain's Chihuahuan Desert setting This same epic pumping operation makes it possible for humans to study the Cave of Crystals. If the pumping is stopped, the caves will again be submerged, and the crystals will start growing again. So what happens if—or when—the mine is closed? "Should we continue to pump water to keep the cave available so future generations may admire the crystals?" geologist Juan Manuel García-Ruiz said. "Or should we stop pumping and return the scenario to the natural origin, allowing the crystals to regrow?" |
heard about this a few times. from what I've read you can't stay in the caves for more than a few minutes without something like a full watercooled hazmat suit and air supply.
Well in Shadowrun I'd say that it was an artifical Mana Generator set up in the Fourth or possibly even Second Age to power a Kaer or maybe imprison something really, really nasty during the Down Cycles as well.
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Kind-of makes you wonder exactly who/what the 'Queen' the chamber is named after is?
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Or considering its location perhaps it wasn't built to imprison, but rather allow whatever Horror that built it to remain active far longer then normal.
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Kind-of makes you wonder exactly who/what the 'Queen' the chamber is named after is?
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Or considering its location perhaps it wasn't built to imprison, but rather allow whatever Horror that built it to remain active far longer then normal.
...looks like something straight out of Charles Brackett's 1959 production of Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
It's the dragon equivalent of the Library of Alexandria. Just think how much information you could dump into memory crystals of that size. 
That is so cool. I'd love to stand where that guy in the first picture is standing.
Those crystals have also been mined and used in artwork by the Aztecs and others. Just imagine the fun in a 2070's or earlier museum when these things began manifesting their power. For that matter, maybe some power that is won't appreciate the meddling with those crystals.
Mayan and Aztec crystal skulls
Mayan and Aztec crystal skulls
I want one for my collection 
They are among the biggest crystals I've ever seen. ( Brazil and Argentina are also a well known source of ghiant crystals, usually Quartz or Amethyst. )
Now, more SR like, I concur that they have to be crystals of memory lost by some dragon or a prison for an Horror. That's the logical thing as Gypsum is usually found in sedimentary rock as one of the many layers, there's usually no room for such massive crystallization to occur naturally.
( This cave is probably the exception to the rule. )
They are among the biggest crystals I've ever seen. ( Brazil and Argentina are also a well known source of ghiant crystals, usually Quartz or Amethyst. )
Now, more SR like, I concur that they have to be crystals of memory lost by some dragon or a prison for an Horror. That's the logical thing as Gypsum is usually found in sedimentary rock as one of the many layers, there's usually no room for such massive crystallization to occur naturally.
( This cave is probably the exception to the rule. )
About not being able to go in there without air supply and watercooled suit: I don't know about that. Air Supply i can believe, who knows what you are breathing down there, but saunas around here can hit 70-90+,wood saunas are easily known to go over 100 degrees C. That's nearly twice that tempature in there(58, which, in sauna terms, would be still heating up.)
Now, if it's dry down there, i could believe it(dry heat is nasty, saunas are, of course, uber humid, and ive taken very hot ones for a good half hour-but the crystals need water to form, so im guessing its humid), but i think one could hang around down there with no hazmat suit if its only about 58-60.
You'd be might uncomfortable with clothes on, however.
Now, if it's dry down there, i could believe it(dry heat is nasty, saunas are, of course, uber humid, and ive taken very hot ones for a good half hour-but the crystals need water to form, so im guessing its humid), but i think one could hang around down there with no hazmat suit if its only about 58-60.
You'd be might uncomfortable with clothes on, however.
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| 100 degrees C |
Are you sure of that's C and not F? 100 C is the boiling point of water, a sauna at that temperature would take your skin off wouldn't it?
That had me curious and here's the wiki's post on saunas... Yeah, yeah, wiki, still, it's a good jumping off point. Over looks like for humid saunas you're looking around 140 degrees F, while the dry ones can can be up to over 90 degrees C. Yes, C.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna
Looks to me like they found the southern Fortress of Solitude foundation. (lol)
Sorry, had the throw that in.
Still, seeing those pics.....in a word: wow
Sorry, had the throw that in.
Still, seeing those pics.....in a word: wow
Dudes We need to get down there with a silver pickax and mine some of that high mana count stuff man. Talesma AHOY
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