Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Cave of Crystal


No, your eyes not deceiving you. This is the Cave of Crystal in Mexico. At a depth of 300m (1,000 feet) below the Naica mountain in the Chihuahuan Desert these beautiful crystal formations can be found. They were formed thanks to the caves being flooded with mineral rich water which was kept at a steady 136 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celsius). This allowed anhydrite in the water to slowly form into the gypsum crystals you see here.

The largest single crystal found so far is a staggering 11m (36ft) long and 4m (13ft) in diameter!

Sources: Nat Geo: http://tinyurl.com/39brt5 | Wiki:http://tinyurl.com/2uzm6eg



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