The Naica Mine: The Cave Of Crystals

The Naica Mine is located in the Mexican State of Chihuahua (1). This mine is run by Industrias Peñoles and is a lead, zinc, and silver mine (1). The mines were discovered in 1794 by prospectors (4). The first valuable mineral found in the Naica Mines was silver, and the mines focused on silver and gold until about 1900 when zinc and lead grew to be more valuable (4). This was in the time of the Mexican Revolution, and revolutionary troops demanded money from the owners of the mine (4). One of the owners would not pay and was killed, which caused the mine to shut down (4). Just before the mine closed, the Cave of The Crystals was discovered (4). The Naica Mine has two predominant caves, one is called the Cave of the Crystals and the other called

This cave is located 1000 feet underground and contains many of the largest natural gypsum crystals in the world (2). These pillars of selenite gypsum measure up to 50 feet long and 4 feet in diameter (1). These crystals were able to form in such huge quantities because the area was submerged in water that was rich in minerals as well as having a high stable temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit (2). The water had an abundant amount of anhydrite and, because of this environment, it dissolved into gypsum and formed these massive crystals (2). The water has since drained out of the caves and the air in the caves normally stays between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius and the humidity levels range from 90 to 100 percent (3). Humans without protective gear are unable to survive in this environment for more than a few minutes; with protective gear, they are able to stretch this time to a couple hours (3). The Cave of the Crystals is horseshoe shaped and is around 30 feet wide and 90 feet long (2). In 1910, long before the Cave of the Crystals was discovered, miners discovered the Cave of Swords (4). This chamber has a lot more shorter crystals, averaging one to two meters long