The aptly named Cave of Crystals, in Chihuahua, Mexico, is buried around 300 metres underground and contains giant gypsum crystals up to 11 metres long.
Some are big enough to walk on and are so impressive they earned the cave its alternative moniker, the ‘Sistine Chapel of crystals.’
- Scuba divers went into a tidal cave in Bermuda and found a segmented creature lurking in the darkness
- Scientists went into an ancient cave in New Zealand and found a 'lost world' hiding within
The cave sits on a fault line above a chamber of magma. Millions of years ago, scorching magma forced mineral-rich ground water up through the rock. This created caverns in the limestone and formed deposits which then slowly began to cool and crystallise. Eventually, the temperature stabilised at around 58 degrees Celsius, creating the perfect conditions for the crystals to grow…but deadly conditions for people.
Whilst 58 degrees isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, the high level of humidity is. It stands at 90%, which means the human body is unable to cool itself down by sweating. Without specialist equipment, any person in the cave would quickly overheat, so this is one place best viewed in a photograph.
- 10 strange and bizarre underground animals that live beneath our feet
- It stretches up to 2.5 miles, is 2.5 metres deep and is home to 300 of the weirdest, most rule-breaking animals on the planet
Helen Pilcher is a tea-drinking, biscuit-nibbling science and comedy writer, with a PhD in cell biology. She contributes regularly to BBC Wildlife and BBC Science Focus, and has penned many popular science books. Life Changing: How Humans are Altering Life on Earth was The Times 2020 Science Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation. Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-extinction was Radio 2’s Fact Not Fiction Book of the Week, and was described by comedian Sara Pasco as ‘science at its funniest.’ In other news, Helen is science advisor to the Beano, and owns a genetically-modified wolf called Higgs. Her favourite bird is the kakapo, her favourite moth is the Merveille du Jour and her favourite beverage is a warm, milky brew; no sugar.
