Mexico is a land of endless wonders.
always manages to surprise with its nature, keeper of many secrets that lurk beneath the earth even as the case of de la Cueva de los Cristales de Naica .
Naica Mine is located in the desert of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, where it is mined lead and silver.
in 1910 to 120 meters depth was discovered Cueva de las Espadas (Cave of Swords) constitues a cavity by a corridor 87 meters long covered with crystals that could get to measure two meters high.
After nearly 100 years, in April 2000 to around 300 meters deep were discovered three other natural hollows El Ojo de la Reina (The Queen of the eye), the Cueva de las Velas (Cave of candles), and the extraordinary Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals), a cave flooded with literally hundreds of huge columns of transparent crystal.
The caves were discovered in a random way, in fact, hot water, which served to extract the ore from the mine, was taken from the subsoil by means of a pumping system that drained the cave, leading to the discovery of this unique natural treasure.
The giant crystals of selenite (a form of pure gypsum) which are located in Crystal Cave, can reach 11 meters high and 2 meters in diameter and have originated in an environment flooded with the particular interaction between water, sulfur, hot from the deep layers and colder water from outside filtered through the layers of rock.
a complex process, which occurred in a state of outstanding balance, which may have contributed to the bacteria that have not yet been identified, but which were found indirect evidence on the existence of minerals that form only in the presence of certain microorganisms.
The cave reaches a length of about 50 m. for a width of 40 m.
studies and explorations are under way by the Italian association of geographical exploration La Venta.
Map of the Cave of Crystals (Picture taken from geomondo.it )
The temperature at this depth varies between 45 and 50 ยบ C and the humidity is between 90 and 100% of features that allow human beings to survive a few minutes without the proper equipment.
scans are performed with the faces covered by respirators and special suits that cool the body, allow to remain in the cave for over an hour.
the day when there will be more minerals to be extracted, the system will stop pumping water. It will flood again then tunnels and caves, making it possible to revert to natural conditions in which they were. There will be nurtured so again the growth of its crystals in the water. Meanwhile
in this relative short space of time, which is available, we will try to preserve and study these magnificent natural formations.
This cave is a journey inside the ground but may very well represent the interior of ourselves that invites us to be understanding of our relationship with nature and our planet.
More:
done by computer reconstruction of the Cave of Naica
La Venta - Geographic Explorations
Proyecto Naica
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