Giant crystal pillars buried in a cave 984 feet below the earth, more than 5,00,000 years old

Mexico CityThe ‘Giant Crystal Cave’ is a mine in Mexico that is popular for its extraordinary selenite crystals. There are huge crystal pillars buried about 984 feet below the Sierra de Naica Mountains in Chihuahua. The mine was discovered in 2000 by two brothers who worked for Industrial Penols. They were reportedly mining a tunnel under Mount Naika and accidentally collided with the mine. These crystals are actually made of gypsum, a type of mineral used as a filler in the paper and textile industries. It is also used in making cement. It is surprising that these crystal pillars are more than 5,00,000 years old. Many of these are big enough to be easily walked over. Because they were buried under the earth for many years, the crystals continued to grow.

Difficult to enter the cave without a cooling suitAccording to the Science How Stuff Works website, humans cannot enter the cave without a special cooling suit. The temperature inside the cave can go up to 58 degrees Celsius with 90 to 99 percent humidity. It lacks natural light and the air is too acidic, which makes it dangerous to humans. Very hot liquefied rocks, that is, magma, were found under these crystals.

How did giant crystals begin to form?About 26 million years ago, groundwater containing calcium sulfate entered the caves and was heated by the magma below, forming giant crystals. According to scientists, it must have happened that when the magma came out, the groundwater in the cave was 98 feet high and 33 feet wide. The temperature of the cave was above 58 °C, and at such a temperature the anhydrite in the water remained in its original form, but began to form crystals as soon as the temperature dropped slightly below 58 °C.