406:(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 partnered with Ferrino and La Venta to develop 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 kilograms (44 lb) containing a reservoir filled with cold water and ice. The cooling provided by melting ice was sufficient to provide about half an hour of autonomy.
321:
59:
1208:
43:
66:
329:
227:), some of the largest natural crystals ever found. 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. When not flooded, the cave is extremely hot, with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity. This is comparable to temperature records in
536:, in episode 311. Exploration has given credence to the existence of further chambers, but further exploration would have required significant removal of the crystals. As the cave's accessibility is dependent on the mine's water pumps, once mining operations ceased, the caves were allowed to re-flood in October 2015.
385:
Two other smaller caverns were also discovered in 2000, Queen's Eye Cave and
Candles Cave, and another chamber was found in a drilling project in 2009. The new cave, named Ice Palace, by James Marc Beverly on a National Geographic expedition, is 150 metres (490 ft) deep and is not flooded, but
489:, researchers, including Dr. Boston, announced the discovery of bacteria found in inclusions embedded in some of the crystals. Using sterile methods, the researchers were able to extract and reanimate these organisms, which are not closely related to anything in the known genetic databases.
352:). It is located at a depth of 120 metres (390 ft), above the Cave of the Crystals, and contains spectacular, smaller (1-metre (3 ft 3 in) long) crystals. It is speculated that at this level, transition temperatures may have fallen much more rapidly, leading to an end in the
395:
382:. Its floor is covered with perfectly faceted crystalline blocks. Huge crystal beams jut out from both the blocks and the floor. The crystals deteriorate in air, so the Naica Project attempted to visually document the crystals before they deteriorated further.
452:
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 in the
234:
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.
417:
to determine the maximum age of the giant crystals, about 500,000 years. A team led by A. E. S. Van
Driessche directly measured the growth rates of these giant gypsum crystals using present-day water of the Naica. They obtained a growth rate of
430:, which is the slowest directly measured normal growth rate for any crystal growth process. Taking into account this rate, the largest crystals would have taken approximately 1 million years to reach their current size.
757:
Van
Driessche, A. E. S.; Canals, A.; Ossorio, M.; Reyes, R. C.; García Ruiz, J. M. (2016). "Unravelling the sulphate sources of (giant) gypsum crystals using gypsum isotope fractionation factors".
1211:
893:
363:
mining company located in Naica, Mexico, while drilling through the Naica fault, which they were concerned would flood the mine. The mining complex in Naica contains substantial deposits of
398:
Selenite "sword", 22.6 by 2.6 by 1.6 centimetres (8.90 in × 1.02 in × 0.63 in). A small version of the giant crystals, likely found in a natural cavity in the mine.
231:, but with much wetter air. The cave is relatively unexplored because of these factors. Without proper protection, people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.
294:). When the overall temperature of the cave started to drop below 56 °C (133 °F), the hydrothermal and sedimentary anhydrite crystals dissolved, and gypsum (CaSO
95:
485:
are foreseen to attempt to evidence the presence of ancient micro-organisms in the original fluid solution in which the crystals developed. At the 2017 meeting of the
409:
Besides mineralogical and crystallographic studies, biogeochemical and microbial characterization of the gypsum giant crystals were performed. Stein-Erik
Lauritzen (
636:
1096:
571:
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).
486:
803:
606:
901:
199:
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).
1122:
539:
If the mining company decides to open another entrance, researchers might again enter to continue their work, according to a
February 2019 report.
693:
437:
1097:"NAICA: "Beyond the crystal cave and deadly descent" video reveals worlds beneath the Earth's surface, February 13 on Discovery Channel"
1156:
670:
58:
1074:
1262:
1228:
1180:
871:
530:, in the episode "Depths of Destruction" of the second season. Additionally, these caves were also featured on the program
340:. Size: 18 by 14 by 13 centimetres (7.1 in × 5.5 in × 5.1 in), weight 2.6 kilograms (5.7 lb)
729:
266:
surface water contacted the mineral-saturated heated water, but the two did not mix because of the difference in their
640:
1217:
324:
Location of the Swords and
Crystal caves with the gypsum crystals within the idealized block diagram of Naica mine
841:
312:
at an extremely slow rate over the course of at least 500,000 years, forming the enormous crystals found today.
1100:
698:
811:
743:
614:
20:
386:
its crystal formations are much smaller, with small "cauliflower" formations and fine, threadlike crystals.
1134:
1267:
703:
402:
A scientific team coordinated by Paolo Forti, specialist of cave minerals and crystallographer at the
1277:
478:
1252:
1011:
Van
Driessche, A. E. S.; García Ruíz, J. M.; Tsukamoto, K.; Patiño López, L. D.; Satoh, H. (2011).
300:
219:
548:
320:
466:
414:
1272:
403:
360:
410:
359:
Giant
Crystal Cave was discovered in April 2000 by miners excavating a new tunnel for the
8:
344:
In 1910, miners discovered a cavern beneath the Naica Mine workings, the Cave of Swords (
254:
which is approximately 3–5 kilometres (2–3 mi) below the cave. The magma heated the
1066:
662:
1039:
1012:
784:
333:
203:
980:"Preliminary U/Th dating and the evolution of gypsum crystals in Naica caves (Mexico)"
270:. The oxygen slowly diffused into the heated water and oxidized the sulfides (S) into
1257:
1220:, comprehensive website on the Crystal Caves with geology, history, photos and videos
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Proceedings of 15th
International Congress of Speleology, Kerrville, Texas, USA
353:
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1207:
1010:
251:
238:
A group of scientists in the Naica Project have been studying these caverns.
110:
97:
1029:
732:. Speleoresearch & Films. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007.
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449:
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42:
996:
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965:
Preliminary U/Th dating of gypsum crystals from Naica caves (Mexico)
770:
474:
458:
271:
267:
259:
206:
948:
Lauritzen, Stein-Erik; Silviu, Constantin; Forti, Paolo (2008).
504:
and the physical conditions prevailing in the Cave of Crystals.
328:
1130:
1099:(Press release). ctvmedia.com. February 8, 2011. Archived from
756:
497:
394:
364:
263:
210:
195:, Chihuahua, Mexico. It takes the form of a chamber within the
477:
could be extracted from the solid inclusions and amplified by
457:
matrix from its formation. Solid inclusions mainly consist of
1212:
Wikijunior:Let's Talk about Crystallization in the Naica Mine
950:
Chronology and growth rate of the Naica giant gypsum crystals
192:
82:
372:
368:
184:
978:
Sanna, Laura; Forti, Paolo; Lauritzen, Stein-Erik (2011).
570:
470:
469:
could be found associated with the solid hydroxides. No
47:
Gypsum crystals in the Naica cave. Note person for scale
963:
Sanna, L.; Lauritzen, Stein-Erik; Forti, Paolo (2009).
551: – Cave system in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico
389:
378:
The Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in
952:. 33rd International Geological Congress (IGC). UiB.
947:
977:
962:
487:
American Association for the Advancement of Science
894:"Giant crystal caves yield new "Ice Palace," more"
520:in February 2011. Earlier, it was featured on the
1013:"Ultraslow growth rates of giant gypsum crystals"
1244:
1115:
308:) crystals formed. The hydrated sulfate gypsum
1067:"Naica's crystal caves hold long-dormant life"
438:New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
834:"Naica, Mun. de Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico"
241:
65:
16:Mexican cave renowned for its giant crystals
191:at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft), in
1157:"Naica's crystal cave captivates chemists"
1060:
1058:
885:
85:, Saucillo Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico
41:
1038:
1028:
995:
778:
724:
722:
720:
600:
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663:"A rare glimpse of the cave of crystals"
566:
564:
393:
327:
319:
1181:"Preserving the Naica Cave of Crystals"
1055:
801:
604:
492:Other researches covered the fields of
1245:
1077:from the original on February 19, 2017
844:from the original on November 16, 2014
717:
595:
804:"Giant Crystal Cave's Mystery Solved"
607:"Giant crystal cave's mystery solved"
561:
1065:Amos, Jonathan (February 18, 2017).
1064:
891:
864:"Cave of the Giant Crystals, Mexico"
691:
673:from the original on 20 January 2010
685:
637:"Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Light"
13:
390:Exploration and scientific studies
14:
1289:
1200:
1127:Life After People – Episode Guide
605:Lovgren, Stefan (April 6, 2007).
1206:
802:Lovgren, Stefan (6 April 2007).
64:
57:
1224:BBC page on the cave with video
1173:
1161:Chemical & Engineering News
1149:
1089:
1004:
971:
956:
941:
916:
874:from the original on 2014-12-16
856:
1263:Landforms of Chihuahua (state)
826:
795:
750:
655:
629:
518:Naica: Beyond The Crystal Cave
1:
1236:, account of a 2009 visit by
892:Than, Ker (October 7, 2010).
555:
512:The cave was featured on the
154:High temperature and humidity
699:National Geographic magazine
692:Shea, Neil (November 2008).
315:
7:
542:
336:crystal "floater" from the
202:The chamber contains giant
10:
1294:
507:
18:
742:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
258:which was saturated with
242:Formation of the crystals
158:
150:
142:
134:
126:
89:
78:
52:
40:
33:
28:
898:National Geographic News
808:National Geographic News
730:"Naica Crystals Project"
611:National Geographic News
573:"The Naica caves survey"
130:109 m (358 ft)
1123:"Depths of Destruction"
1030:10.1073/pnas.1105233108
549:Nombre de Dios Grottoes
481:. Microbial studies on
286:) that precipitated as
1234:Crystal Cave of Giants
759:The Journal of Geology
500:study), geochemistry,
415:uranium-thorium dating
399:
354:growth of the crystals
349:
341:
325:
181:Cueva de los cristales
180:
162:Currently inaccessible
111:27.85083°N 105.49639°W
35:Cueva de los cristales
1229:Giant Crystal project
404:University of Bologna
397:
331:
323:
250:above an underground
1137:on September 2, 2012
413:, Norway) performed
411:University of Bergen
350:Cueva de las espadas
169:Cave of the Crystals
116:27.85083; -105.49639
29:Cave of the Crystals
19:For other uses, see
1023:(38): 15721–15726.
997:10.3986/ac.v40i1.25
904:on October 16, 2010
814:on 18 February 2017
669:. 19 January 2010.
643:on February 9, 2010
107: /
463:iron oxy-hydroxide
400:
361:Industrias Peñoles
342:
326:
173:Giant Crystal Cave
1268:Geology of Mexico
617:on April 14, 2010
527:Life After People
514:Discovery Channel
446:geomicrobiologist
187:connected to the
166:
165:
1285:
1278:Sulfate minerals
1238:George Kourounis
1210:
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1191:
1177:
1171:
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1168:
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1133:. Archived from
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984:Acta Carsologica
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900:. Archived from
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868:Chrystalinks.com
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810:. Archived from
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712:
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702:. Archived from
694:"Crystal palace"
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639:. Archived from
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483:fluid inclusions
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246:Naica lies on a
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522:History Channel
510:
455:calcium sulfate
434:Penelope Boston
425:
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262:ions (S). Cool
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1201:External links
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1103:on 6 July 2011
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771:10.1086/684832
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1273:Gypsum caves
1214:at Wikibooks
1188:. Retrieved
1184:
1175:
1164:. Retrieved
1160:
1151:
1139:. Retrieved
1135:the original
1126:
1117:
1105:. Retrieved
1101:the original
1091:
1081:February 18,
1079:. Retrieved
1070:
1020:
1016:
1006:
990:(1): 17–28.
987:
983:
973:
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949:
943:
931:. Retrieved
927:
918:
906:. Retrieved
902:the original
897:
887:
876:. Retrieved
867:
858:
848:November 18,
846:. Retrieved
837:
828:
816:. Retrieved
812:the original
807:
797:
762:
758:
752:
708:. Retrieved
704:the original
697:
687:
675:. Retrieved
666:
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645:. Retrieved
641:the original
631:
619:. Retrieved
615:the original
610:
585:. Retrieved
580:
576:
538:
533:Angry Planet
531:
525:
517:
511:
502:hydrogeology
491:
450:extremophile
442:speleologist
432:
428:10 nm/s
408:
401:
384:
377:
358:
343:
332:Water-clear
310:crystallized
256:ground water
245:
237:
233:
229:Death Valley
201:
172:
168:
167:
34:
21:Crystal Cave
1141:January 12,
1107:18 February
924:"The Story"
908:October 21,
818:19 February
780:2445/162498
647:February 7,
621:October 22,
583:: 1764–1769
114: /
102:105°29′47″W
90:Coordinates
1247:Categories
1190:2024-05-04
1166:2024-05-04
928:ferrino.it
878:2014-11-18
838:Mindat.org
710:2009-06-12
677:19 January
556:References
494:palynology
338:Naica Mine
264:oxygenated
189:Naica Mine
789:131203980
465:, but no
459:magnesium
380:limestone
316:Discovery
288:anhydrite
268:densities
197:limestone
146:Limestone
135:Discovery
99:27°51′3″N
1258:Crystals
1075:Archived
1071:BBC News
1049:21911400
872:Archived
842:Archived
738:cite web
671:Archived
667:BBC News
587:18 April
543:See also
524:program
516:program
475:bacteria
440:, USA),
334:selenite
272:sulfates
207:crystals
204:selenite
79:Location
1040:3179101
967:. 2009.
508:Closure
346:Spanish
260:sulfide
183:) is a
177:Spanish
151:Hazards
143:Geology
1131:MSN TV
1047:
1037:
933:26 May
787:
498:pollen
365:silver
213:, CaSO
211:gypsum
159:Access
127:Length
785:S2CID
290:(CaSO
248:fault
193:Naica
83:Naica
1143:2019
1109:2011
1083:2017
1045:PMID
1017:PNAS
935:2023
910:2010
850:2014
820:2017
744:link
679:2010
649:2010
623:2010
589:2021
461:and
444:and
424:0.2)
420:(1.4
373:lead
371:and
369:zinc
299:· 2
218:· 2
185:cave
138:2000
1035:PMC
1025:doi
1021:108
992:doi
775:hdl
767:doi
763:124
479:PCR
471:DNA
171:or
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