iD Ideas Discoveries March 2017

magma

mineral-rich

liquid detail:

Cave of

the Crystals

25 MILLION

YEARS AGO

Magma masses from the

interior of the Earth rise

toward the surface and

thereby press mineral-

rich water into the rock

from which the Naica

Mountains would arise.

HOW THE CRYSTALS
CAME TO BE FORMED:

1 TO 2 MILLION

YEARS AGO

As the temperature drops,

hollow spaces form as a

result of shifts in Earth’s

crust. Water fl oods the

caverns and dissolves

calcium sulfate from the

limestone in the process.

600,000 YEARS AGO

The temperature in the

caverns fl uctuates around

the 135°F mark, which

results in the formation of

selenite crystals from the

dissolved calcium sulfate,

which grow into gigantic

crystal pillars.

CIRCA 1985

In the search for iron and

silver, workers dry out the

mine; 15 years later they

happen to come across a

cave full of giant crystals,

whose growth had been

abruptly halted as a result

of the lack of water.

GROW?

ENLARGED VIEW

OF CROSS-SECTION

NUMBER OF CRYSTALS

The cave contains an estimated 170 pillars of selenite.

So far 149 of them have been examined and documented.

LONGEST CRYSTAL

The crystals reach lengths of up to 37.4 feet

with a maximum diameter of 13 feet.

SIZE COMPARISON

ideasanddiscoveries.com 49 Mar 2017