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Old 10-03-2008, 01:22 AM
RuGlu6 RuGlu6 is offline
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Default Giant Crystal Cave

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...crystals-cave/
April 9, 2007—Geologist Juan Manuel García-Ruiz calls it "the Sistine Chapel of crystals," but Superman could call it home.

A sort of south-of-the-border Fortress of Solitude, Mexico's Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) contains some of the world's largest known natural crystals—translucent beams of gypsum as long as 36 feet (11 meters).

How did the crystals reach such superheroic proportions?
In the new issue of the journal Geology, García-Ruiz reports that for millennia the crystals thrived in the cave's extremely rare and stable natural environment. Temperatures hovered consistently around a steamy 136 degrees Fahrenheit (58 degrees Celsius), and the cave was filled with mineral-rich water that drove the crystals' growth.

Modern-day mining operations exposed the natural wonder by pumping water out of the 30-by-90-foot (10-by-30-meter) cave, which was found in 2000 near the town of Delicias (Chihuahua state map). Now García-Ruiz is advising the mining company to preserve the caves.
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Old 10-03-2008, 02:02 AM
Sebae again Sebae again is offline
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Very cool.
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:30 AM
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Marlin65 Marlin65 is offline
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Thanks for sharing.
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:32 AM
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justinl justinl is offline
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wow that is amazing! I really hope whoevers in charge of the mining decides to let it be.
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