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. 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). A small version of the giant crystals, likely found in a natural cavity in the mine.Ī scientific team coordinated by Paolo Forti, specialist of cave minerals and crystallographer at the University of Bologna (Italy), explored the cave in detail in 2006. Exploration and scientific studies Selenite "sword", 22.6 by 2.6 by 1.6 centimetres (8.90 in × 1.02 in × 0.63 in). The new cave, 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. 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 crystals deteriorate in air, so the Naica Project attempted to visually document the crystals before they deteriorated further. Huge crystal beams jut out from both the blocks and the floor. Its floor is covered with perfectly faceted crystalline blocks. The Cave of Crystals is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone. The mining complex in Naica contains substantial deposits of silver, zinc and lead. Giant Crystal Cave was discovered in April 2000 by miners excavating a new tunnel for the Industrias Peñoles mining company located in Naica, Mexico, while drilling through the Naica fault, which they were concerned would flood the mine. It is speculated that at this level, transition temperatures may have fallen much more rapidly, leading to an end in the growth of the crystals. 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. In 1910, miners discovered a cavern beneath the Naica Mine workings, the Cave of Swords ( Spanish: Cueva de las espadas). Discovery Location of the Swords and Crystal caves with the gypsum crystals within the idealized block diagram of Naica mine Water-clear selenite crystal "floater" from the Naica Mine. The hydrated sulfate gypsum crystallized at an extremely slow rate over the course of at least 500,000 years, forming the enormous crystals found today. When the overall temperature of the cave started to drop below 56 ☌ (133 ☏), the hydrothermal and sedimentary anhydrite crystals dissolved, and gypsum (CaSO 4 The oxygen slowly diffused into the heated water and oxidized the sulfides (S 2−) into sulfates ( SO 2−Ĥ) that precipitated as anhydrite (CaSO 4). Cool oxygenated surface water contacted the mineral-saturated heated water, but the two did not mix because of the difference in their densities. The magma heated the ground water which was saturated with sulfide ions (S 2−). Naica lies on a fault above an underground magma chamber which is approximately 3–5 kilometres (2–3 mi) below the cave. 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.Ī group of scientists in the Naica Project have been studying these caverns. The cave was discovered in April 2000 by brothers Juan and Pedro Sánchez while drilling in the mine. Without proper protection, people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time. The cave is relatively unexplored because of these factors. This is comparable to temperature records in Death Valley, but with much wetter air. When not flooded, the cave is extremely hot, with air temperatures reaching up to 58 ☌ (136 ☏) with 90 to 99 percent humidity. 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.
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