Cave of the Crystals

For other uses, see Crystal Cave.
Cave of the Crystals
Cueva de los cristales
Gypsum crystals in the Naica cave. Note person for scale
Map showing the location of Cave of the Crystals
Map showing the location of Cave of the Crystals
LocationNaica, Saucillo Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico
Coordinates27°51′3″N 105°29′47″W / 27.85083°N 105.49639°W / 27.85083; -105.49639
Length109 m (358 ft)
Discovery2000
GeologyLimestone
HazardsHigh temperature and humidity
AccessCurrently inaccessible

Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave (Spanish: Cueva de los cristales) is a cave connected to the Naica Mine at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft), in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. It takes the form of a chamber within the limestone host rock of the mine, and is about 109 metres (358 ft) long with a volume of 5,000 to 6,000 cubic metres (180,000 to 210,000 cu ft).[1]

The chamber contains giant selenite crystals (gypsum, CaSO4 · 2 H2O), some of the largest natural crystals ever found.[2] The largest is 11.40 metres (37.4 ft), with a volume of about 5 cubic metres (180 cu ft), and an estimated mass of 12 tonnes.[1] When not flooded, the cave is extremely hot, with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F)[3] with 90 to 99 percent humidity. This is comparable to temperature records in Death Valley, but with much wetter air that condenses in the lungs and prevents cooling via sweating. The cave is relatively unexplored because of these factors.[4] Without proper protection, people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.[5]

The cave was discovered in April 2000 by brothers Juan and Pedro Sánchez while drilling in the mine. As of October 2015, the mine had reflooded and the cavern filled once more with the water rich in minerals required for the crystals to grow.

A group of scientists in the Naica Project have been studying these caverns.[6]

  1. ^ a b Badino, G. I.; Ferreira, A. N.; Forti, P. A.; Giovine, G. I.; Giulivo, I. T.; Infante, G. O.; Lo Mastro, F.; Sanna, L. A.; Tedeschi, R. O. (1 July 2009). "The Naica caves survey". Proceedings of 15th International Congress of Speleology, Kerrville, Texas, USA. 3: 1764–1769. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mystery was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Light". Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  4. ^ "A rare glimpse of the cave of crystals". BBC News. 19 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  5. ^ Shea, Neil (November 2008). "Crystal palace". National Geographic magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-09-06. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  6. ^ "Naica Crystals Project". Speleoresearch & Films. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)