Brothers drilling in Mexico's Naica Mine break into cave of 11.4-metre crystals
Brothers Juan and Pedro Sánchez found the Cave of the Crystals in April 2000 while drilling in the Naica Mine in Chihuahua, Mexico. The chamber sits 300 metres down and is about 109 metres long. Its selenite crystals are among the largest natural crystals ever found, and the biggest measures 11.4 metres. Scientists in the Naica Project have been studying the caverns. As of October 2015, the mine had reflooded, and the cavern filled again with mineral-rich water the crystals need to grow.
Air in the dry cave reaches 58 °C with 90 to 99 percent humidity, and unprotected people can last only about ten minutes. That is why the cave is still relatively unexplored. The reflooding returns the water the crystals need to grow.
Source: Cave of the Crystals - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org).
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