Write An Essay On The Naca Caves

The Naica mines are naturally occurring caves, located in Chihuahua, Mexico. The Naica mines are working mines rich in lead, zinc, and silver, which are owned by Mexico’s largest lead producer, Industrias Penoles. Within the Naica mines are caves filled with giant selenite crystals, discovered by miner brothers, Juan and Pedro Sanchez in 2000. The caves were discovered while drilling through the Naica fault during a mining expedition. The giant crystal caves are in the shape of a horseshoe and have been carved out of cretaceous limestone rocks. The caves, which are located 1,000 feet underground, have an average temperature of 50° C with 99% humidity. The hot and humid environment within the caves requires a special suit equipped with oxygen to enter the cave without risk of asphyxiation. The mines are naturally filled with heated water that is currently pumped out so the caves can be entered, without continuous pumping the caves would fill back up with water. The cave with the largest crystals of the Naica mines is called the “Cave of Crystals” or the “Giant Crystal Cave”. The massive crystals in this cave are made up of the soft mineral gypsum, and are the largest ever
The crystals in these mines are much smaller than the giant crystals, and are located higher within the Naica mines, which are not naturally flooded with heated water. The crystals in the higher caves are smaller versions of the giant crystals or cauliflower like in shape, with fine, threadlike crystals. The difference in size and shapes shows the difference a small change in environment can make in the formation of crystals. The crystals in the other caves have never had the right environment to grow giant crystals because their environment was not kept consistent long enough and/or filled with hydrothermal fluids to form crystals like those in the Giant Crystal