AMAZING crystal photos!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

A friend just sent this to me... Holy crap!

------------

Below are the links to several photos I've stored in a photo vault.

They were taken by a couple who I know from having worked with in the past. The couple - both geophysicists from Mexico - have been at our laboratory over the last few months trying to figure out remediation strategies to remove uranium in drinking water. The area is in a remote part of Mexico. But first, they had to determine the source of the uranium so they started snooping around.

They found a cave.

Inside the cave the temperatures hover around 140 degrees and the humidity is 100%. Conditions are probably not much different from hell itself. Special insulation suits with portable air conditioning units must be worn to insure survival and even then entry time must be limited. Teams must be sent to insure that all who enter leave alive. I'm of the belief that teams are sent in order to drag one or more people out of the area because the temptation is so great to stay. You see, inside the cave they found some crystals.

Some very big crystals.

Have a look.

NOTE: this is NOT a movie set nor have the photos been doctored or altered in any way.

[Phillycat]

1. Very cool!

Thanks for posting! :hi:

[LaraMN]

2. Wow! Those are absolutely stunning!

Nature's really something...
:wow:

[Generic Brad]

3. Wow. Were those created in Noah's flood too? n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

4. Very neat! What are those minerals?

The "smaller" more compact crystals might be quartz, but the long beam-shaped ones look like selenite to me. Any idea what they are?

edit: punctuation

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

6. I've asked the guy who sent the photos to me.

I'll post a response if/when I get one.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. Good call!

Someone posted this link in the other thread I started on this topic:

http://www.naica.com.mx/ingles/index.htm

[InvisibleTouch]

10. Thanks for the link!

Very cool info and pics. :)

[pitohui]

18. they are selenite, you are correct EOM

.

[lildreamer316]

5. WOW!

That is incredible!
Too bad it's so dangerous to be in there.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. I believe those are calcite crystals.

The Smithsonian Institution has a display with some large crystals like this removed from a mine in Mexico. I had read elsewhere (no source, sorry) that there are certain areas of Mexico where these extra-large calcite crystals grow.

Hey, google found it! Scroll down or search for 'Mexico':

http://nssmembersforum.proboards28.com/index.cgi?board=newsprint&action=display&thread=1164303081



Also check out http://giantcrystals.strahlen.org/list/list.htm

[gr8dane_daddy]

8. Freaking awesome...

what a find.

[kay1864]

11. OMG they found Superman's Fortress of Solitude!

And here we thought it was in the Arctic.

:P




Great pics, thanks!

[4nic8em]

12. No doubt

they've only been around for 20 years or so...

[eyepaddle]

13. Wonderful! The geologist in me loves stuff like this

I took a field trip to a lead mine in Missouri when I was in college, there was a solution cavern off to the side of ne of the mine shafts, it was lined with quartz and calcite crystals like this. NOt so staggeringly huge but with a rainbow array of colors.

The professor called it a "glory hole."

Nobody smirked at the term--at least on the outside! Of course looking at these pictures I think they might be a more wonderful use of the term.

[Chiyo-chichi]

14. Why is it 140 degrees?

Caves around here are a cool 56 or so.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

19. Nearby volcanic activity, maybe?

I'm not familiar with this region, so I can't say for sure.

[Chiyo-chichi]

23. Yikes.

All the more dangerous to be down there if that's the case.

It is beautiful, though. Thanks for sharing the photos.

[seemunkee]

15. Incredible

Thanks for passing them along.

[judaspriestess]

16. Wow that is some bad ass energy there (in a good way)

that is amazing. I hope these beautiful works of nature don't get ruined by greedy humans

[pitohui]

17. these are selenites and very nice specimens indeed

they do have value to collectors altho it might be a shame to destroy the cavern that holds them

there is a famous source for them, called "cave of swords" i think it's in spain -- oops, google tells me i'm wrong, the cave of swords is in mexico

anyway thanks for sharing some v. nice photos

[Kerrytravelers]

20. I can't wait to show Mr. kt!

He use to collect rocks as a kid. This is a bit large than anything he had in his room, but I still think he'll be interested! :rofl:

[Lochloosa]

21. ...

:wow:

[flamingyouth]

22. Wow - what amazing photos

Thanks so much for posting. :thumbsup:

[drm604]

24. Wow.

Fantastic!

Was this cave the source of the uranium?

[rug]

25. Where's Superman?