Today, let’s talk about the Crystal Cave of Giants, which astronomers and biologists refer to as “hell.” This cave is filled with enormous gypsum crystals that are stunningly beautiful but also potential death traps.
The cave is located in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. Naica is a special place situated in the vast Chihuahuan Desert. Its mountains lie on a series of fault lines, with a magma chamber buried two and a half kilometers underground that continually heats the area. The crystal cave system is situated above a large pocket of volcanic magma, heated by geothermal activity to 60 degrees Celsius, making it inhospitable for most life forms. This extreme environment is why astrobiologists call it “hell.”
As early as 1900, local miners began excavating minerals from the mountain. After many deep mountain mines were flooded, the mining company started using large pumps to drain water and search for new ores.
In 2000, a pair of miner brothers obtained permission to dig a new dry tunnel 300 meters underground. After drilling into the tunnel, they unexpectedly discovered a magical cave that resembled a superhero’s fortress, filled with towering spurs and crystal clusters of gypsum spires as tall as telephone poles.
However, due to the high temperature of the cave, they quickly retreated. The mining engineers soon realized that this cave was a national treasure and decided to seal it off.
This did not stop some people from sneaking in to steal crystals. One worker managed to enter the cave, but due to the extreme heat, he soon lost consciousness and was later found dead inside.
Since the discovery of this cave, scientists have been fascinated by the gypsum crystals inside, which are five times larger than any natural crystals previously found. It wasn’t until 2007 that an international team of scientists was allowed to visit and study the cave.
The researchers aimed to determine the cave’s age, explore why such large crystals could form in an underground cave, and search for evidence of life in extreme environments, hoping to reveal insights about the origin of life on Earth.
The environment of the crystal cave is extremely inhospitable to human life. A person cannot stay inside for more than 10 minutes, and even with special protective suits, they can only enter the cave for half an hour. During their research, scientists studied the crystals and collected samples. Later analysis of these samples revealed approximately 100 different types of bacteria, most of which were trapped between 10,000 and 60,000 years ago. Remarkably, 90% of these bacteria were previously unknown.
Astonishingly, they found 200 million viruses in a single drop of water. Drinking even one drop would be fatal.
Despite their efforts, the scientists did not provide a definitive answer regarding the age of the cave or why the giant crystals formed. The cave still holds many secrets that require ongoing scientific exploration.
