Cueva de los Cristales
Wiki says that the Cueva de los Cristales is a cave connected to the Naica Mine 300 metres (980 ft) deep in Chihuahua, Mexico.
The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found.
The cave is relatively unexplored due to the extreme temperatures and high humidity. Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.
Image Credit: National Geographic
... I've seen vugs of bright, shiny jewels and stood in caves completely surrounded by crystals but, I've never seen anything like this.
And those extreme temperatures, I know exactly what they mean.
Here's a link to an excellent photo set which will give you a better idea of the scale.
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Morning kind sir!
ReplyDeleteThis fantastic sight was highlighted in a BBC documentary last month. I hope that the link works...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8466493.stm
Those pics are amazing. When I first saw the first one I thought it was a close-up... until I saw the guy!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments Dave and Eternally Distracted ...
ReplyDelete... thanks also for the video link Dave ...
I am a little intrigued that you were a miner.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the crystals. Really, so far, all of what you have shared on your blog, from people to their creations to flowers to rocks, have been intriguing.
Thanks for your kind comment Ocean Girl ...
ReplyDelete... yes, I don't have many pics from that period of my life but I'll share what I've got sometime soon ...
miner - stone house - makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI've visited a few caves but they were the common type that are cool (50 F or 10 C) winter and summer.
I followed the link and read the extremely high temperature. It's close to a magma vent or such. So that hot mine you worked in, was it because of volcanic activity?
No lisleman, the temperatures were caused by poor ventilation or non-existent ventilation and depth - the deeper you go the hotter it gets ...
ReplyDeleteA miner..that must have been a hard job?
ReplyDeleteHey Monica ... it was a tough, at times dangerous job but I was the 'ganger' - I had a team of guys working under me ... they did all the hard work ...
ReplyDeleteNever seen like this before, beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit and comment babYpose
ReplyDelete