14 DAY TRIAL // Back in 2000, workers looking to expand a mine in Naica, Mexico cave across a previously undocumented cave. Much to their surprise, they found that the cave packed some seriously big crystals.
Hence, they were told to pull the plug on mining activities, and researchers arrived in the area to have a closer look at the bizarre underground chamber. Soon enough, the cavern landed the name the Giant Crystal Cave.
As detailed in the video below, this cave in Mexico is home to crystals measuring as much as 12 meters (roughly 39 feet) in length and 4 meters (approximately 13 feet) across. Of these crystals, some tip the scale at 55 tons.
Presently, researchers are having a rather difficult time exploring Mexico's Giant Crystal Cave. This is because temperatures inside it revolve around 58 degrees Celsius (136 degrees Fahrenheit) and the humidity can hit 100%.
This means that, after having spent just a few minutes unprotected inside this cave, a person would have water vapors in the air condense in their lungs. Simply put, they would drown on land.
It is said that your average Joe or Jane can survive about 10 minutes inside this cave. Researchers who use protective equipment, on the other hand, can explore it for about 30 minutes before they too have to get back to the surface.
The massive crystals hidden in the underground in this part of Mexico formed because this cave sits on top of a magma chamber. In time, the magma heated mineral-rich water in the hollow space of the cave, encouraging crystals to form and grow to an impressive size.
