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Naica Mine Is Once Again Flooded With Groundwater and the Giant Crystals Are Free to Keep Growing

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Mexican cave renowned for its giant crystals

Cavern of the Crystals
Cueva de los cristales
Cristales cueva de Naica.JPG

Gypsum crystals in the Naica cavern. Notation person for scale
Location Naica, Saucillo Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico
Coordinates 27°51′3″Due north 105°29′47″West  /  27.85083°N 105.49639°West  / 27.85083; -105.49639 Coordinates: 27°51′3″N 105°29′47″W  /  27.85083°N 105.49639°W  / 27.85083; -105.49639
Length 109 m (358 ft)
Discovery 2000
Geology Limestone
Difficulty Extreme
Hazards High temperature and humidity
Admission Currently inaccessible

Cavern of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave (Spanish: Cueva de los cristales) is a cave continued to the Naica Mine at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft), in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. It takes the form of a sleeping accommodation within the limestone host rock of the mine, and is about 109-metre (358 ft) long with a volume of 5,000 to half dozen,000 cubic metres (180,000 to 210,000 cu ft).[1]

The chamber contains behemothic selenite crystals (gypsum, CaSO4 · 2 HtwoO), some of the largest natural crystals always institute.[2] The largest is 11.40 metres (37.four ft), with a book of about v cubic metres (180 cu ft), and an estimated mass of 12 tonnes.[one] When information technology was attainable, the cave was extremely hot, with air temperatures reaching upward to 58 °C (136 °F)[3] with ninety to 99 percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored because of these factors.[iv] Without proper protection, people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.[5]

The cave was discovered in April 2000 past brothers Juan and Pedro Sanchez while drilling in the mine. As of October 2015[update], the mine had reflooded and the cavern filled over again with the water rich in minerals required for the crystals to grow.

A group of scientists in the Naica Project have been studying these caverns.[six]

Formation of the crystals [edit]

Naica lies on a fault above an underground magma sleeping accommodation which is approximately 3–5 kilometres (2–3 mi) below the cave. The magma heated the basis water which was saturated with sulfide ions (Due south2−). Cool oxygenated surface water contacted the mineral-saturated heated water, but the two did not mix because of the difference in their densities. The oxygen slowly diffused into the heated water and oxidized the sulfides (Sii−) into sulfates (And so 2−
4 ) that precipitated as anhydrite (CaSO4). When the overall temperature of the cavern started to drop below 56 °C (133 °F), the hydrothermal and sedimentary anhydrite crystals dissolved, and gypsum (CaSO4 · 2 H2O) crystals formed.[7] The hydrated sulfate gypsum crystallized at an extremely deadening rate over the course of at to the lowest degree 500,000 years, forming the enormous crystals found today.[viii]

Discovery [edit]

Location of the Swords and Crystal caves with the gypsum crystals within the arcadian cake diagram of Naica mine

Water-clear selenite crystal "floater" from the Naica Mine. Size: 18 by 14 by 13 centimetres (7.1 in × five.5 in × 5.1 in), weight 2.half dozen kilograms (5.vii lb)

In 1910, miners discovered a cave below the Naica Mine workings, the Cave of Swords (Spanish: Cueva de las espadas). It is located at a depth of 120 metres (390 ft), above the Cavern 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 quickly, leading to an end in the growth of the crystals.[ii]

Giant Crystal Cave was discovered in April 2000 by miners excavating a new tunnel for the Industrias Peñoles mining company located in Naica, Mexico,[ix] while drilling through the Naica fault, which they were concerned would flood the mine.[ten] The mining complex in Naica contains substantial deposits of silver, zinc and atomic number 82.

The Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone. 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 farther.[6]

Two other smaller caverns were likewise discovered in 2000, Queen's Eye Cave and Candles Cave,[half dozen] and another chamber was found in a drilling project in 2009. The new cavern, named Ice Palace, is 150 metres (490 ft) deep and is not flooded, but its crystal formations are much smaller, with small "cauliflower" formations and fine, threadlike crystals.[11]

Exploration and scientific studies [edit]

Selenite "sword", 22.6 by ii.half dozen by 1.6 centimetres (eight.ninety in × 1.02 in × 0.63 in). A pocket-size version of the behemothic crystals, likely constitute in a natural cavity in the mine.

A scientific team coordinated by Paolo Forti, specialist of cavern minerals and crystallographer at the University of Bologna (Italia), explored the cavern in particular in 2006. To survive and to be able to work in the extreme temperature and boiling atmospheric condition which prevent prolonged incursion in the crystal bedchamber, they developed their own refrigerated suits and common cold breathing systems (respectively dubbed Tolomea arrange and Sinusit respirator). Special caving overalls were fitted with a mattress of refrigerating tubes placed all over the body and connected to a haversack 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.

Besides mineralogical and crystallographic studies, biogeochemical and microbial characterization of the gypsum giant crystals were performed. Stein-Erik Lauritzen (University of Bergen, Norway) performed uranium-thorium dating to determine the maximum age of the behemothic crystals, almost 500,000 years.[12] [thirteen] [xiv] A team led by A. Eastward. South. Van Driessche directly measured the growth rates of these behemothic gypsum crystals using present-day h2o of the Naica. They obtained a growth rate of (1.four±0.ii)×10−5 nm/s, which is the slowest directly measured normal growth rate for whatsoever crystal growth process. Taking into business relationship this charge per unit, the largest crystals would take taken approximately one one thousand thousand years to attain their current size.[xv]

Penelope Boston (New Mexico Plant of Mining and Technology), speleologist and geomicrobiologist specialist of extremophile organisms, realized sterile sampling of gypsum drillcores by making minor boreholes inside large crystals under aseptic conditions. The aim was to detect the possible presence of ancient bacteria encapsulated within fluid and solid inclusions nowadays in the calcium sulfate matrix from its formation. Solid inclusions mainly consist of magnesium and iron oxy-hydroxide, but no organic matter could be found associated with the solid hydroxides. No DNA from ancient bacteria could be extracted from the solid inclusions and amplified by PCR. Microbial studies on fluid inclusions are foreseen to endeavor to testify the presence of aboriginal micro-organisms in the original fluid solution in which the crystals developed. At the 2017 meeting of the American Clan for the Advancement of Science, researchers, including Dr. Boston, announced the discovery of leaner found in inclusions embedded in some of the crystals. Using sterile methods, the researchers were able to excerpt and reanimate these organisms, which are not closely related to annihilation in the known genetic databases.[16]

Other researches covered the fields of palynology (pollen study), geochemistry, hydrogeology and the concrete conditions prevailing in the Cavern of Crystals.

Closure [edit]

The cave was featured on the Discovery Aqueduct program Naica: Across The Crystal Cave in February 2011.[17] Before, it was featured on the History Aqueduct program Life After People, in the episode "Depths of Destruction" of the second season.[18] Additionally, these caves were also featured on the plan Angry Planet, in episode 311. Exploration has given acceptance to the beingness of further chambers, but further exploration would have required meaning 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-overflowing in Oct 2015.[16]

If the mining company decides to open another entrance, researchers might again enter to continue their piece of work, according to a Feb 2019 report.[19] [xx]

See besides [edit]

  • Nombre de Dios Grottoes – Cave system in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Badino, Giovanni; Sanna, Laura (one July 2009). "The Naica caves survey". International Congress of SpeleologyProceceedings: 1764–1769. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b Lovgren, Stefan (2007-04-06). "Giant crystal cavern'southward mystery solved". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 2010-04-fourteen. Retrieved 2010-ten-22 .
  3. ^ "Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Lite". Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2010-02-07 .
  4. ^ "A rare glimpse of the cave of crystals". BBC News. 19 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-19 .
  5. ^ Shea, Neil (Nov 2008). "Crystal palace". National Geographic magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-09-06. Retrieved 2009-06-12 .
  6. ^ a b c "Naica Crystals Project". Speleoresearch & Films. Archived from the original on 2007-01-07. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Van Driessche, A.Eastward.South.; Canals, A.; Ossorio, One thousand.; Reyes, R.C.; García Ruiz, J.K. (2016). "Unravelling the sulphate sources of (giant) gypsum crystals using gypsum isotope fractionation factors". The Journal of Geology. 124 (2): 235–245. doi:x.1086/684832. hdl:2445/162498. S2CID 131203980.
  8. ^ Lovgren, Stefan (6 April 2007). "Giant Crystal Cave's Mystery Solved". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved xix Feb 2017.
  9. ^ "Naica, Mun. de Saucillo, Chihuahua, United mexican states". Mindat.org. Archived from the original on 2014-11-sixteen. Retrieved 2014-11-18 .
  10. ^ "Cavern of the Giant Crystals, United mexican states". Chrystalinks.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-sixteen. Retrieved 2014-11-18 .
  11. ^ Than, Ker (2010-ten-07). "Giant crystal caves yield new "Water ice Palace," more". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 2010-10-sixteen. Retrieved 2010-10-21 .
  12. ^ Lauritzen, Stein-Erik; Constantin Silviu; Paolo Forti (2008). Chronology and growth charge per unit of the Naica giant gypsum crystals. 33rd International Geological Congress (IGC). UiB.
  13. ^ Sanna, L.; Stein-Erik Lauritzen; Paolo Forti (2009). Preliminary U/Th dating of gypsum crystals from Naica caves (Mexico).
  14. ^ Sanna, Laura; Paolo Forti; Stein-Erik Lauritzen (2011). "Preliminary U/Thursday dating and the evolution of gypsum crystals in Naica caves (Mexico)". Acta Carsologica. 40 (1): 17–28. doi:10.3986/ac.v40i1.25.
  15. ^ Van Driessche, A.East.Southward.; García Ruíz, J.M.; Tsukamoto, K.; Patiño López, L.D.; Satoh, H. (2011). "Ultraslow growth rates of giant gypsum crystals". PNAS. 108 (38): 15721–15726. doi:ten.1073/pnas.1105233108. PMC3179101. PMID 21911400.
  16. ^ a b Amos, Jonathan (2017-02-xviii). "Naica'south crystal caves concur long-dormant life". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2017-02-18 .
  17. ^ "NAICA: "Beyond the crystal cavern and mortiferous descent" video reveals worlds beneath the Earth's surface, February 13 on Discovery Channel" (Press release). ctvmedia.com. February 8, 2011. Archived from the original on vi July 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  18. ^ "Depths of Destruction". Life Afterward People – Episode Guide. MSN Goggle box. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2019-01-12 .
  19. ^ Naica's crystal cave captivates chemists
  20. ^ Preserving nature's wonders 13 July 2018

External links [edit]

  • Wikijunior:Let's Talk near Crystallization in the Naica Mine at Wikibooks
  • Naica Project [ dead link ] , comprehensive website on the Crystal Caves with geology, history, photos and videos
  • BBC page on the cave with video
  • Giant Crystal project
  • Crystal Cave of Giants, business relationship of a 2009 visit by George Kourounis

roachdoull1991.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Crystals

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