Giant Crystal Cave Comes to Light

Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: Mine
Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: First Cavern
Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: Megacrystals
Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: Shark Teeth
Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: Swords
Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: Desert
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Pictures of Giant Crystal Cave, Naica, Mexico: Mine
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Delicate as glass, the "megacrystals" require great humidity and a temperature of about 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) to maintain their current form.

A special door has been constructed to seal off the Cave of Crystals from the rest of the mining complex, which is ventilated to keep it at a comparatively brisk 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius).

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—Photograph by Javier Trueba/Madrid Scientific Films (pictures previously appeared in the Spanish edition of National Geographic magazine)
 

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