SummitPost.org

Mega crystals found in Naica Mine:
http://news.discovery.com/earth/naica-big-pics.html

Real life Superman's Fortress of Solitude, pretty amazing

These are huge calcite crystals so rad! Watch planet earth the caves edition oh and one of the more recent national geographic issues has a sick article on the cave and the formation of the crystals. If only I could figure out how to make a stable enviroment in my room to grab one of these crystals....

watched a special about it awhile ago. it ruled!

There's a book now that documents this cave. Given the spectacular nature of the crystals, the book is a big let down.

http://nssbookstore.org/index.php?mode=store&submode=showitem&itemnumber=01-0651

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tXNCI3P-WI/SxWYVmWHr0I/AAAAAAAADhA/QSefkY1CwGg/s1600/crystal-cave-Carsten%20Peter%20&%20Speleoresearch%20and%20films%20.jpg

jonesa37 wrote:These are huge calcite crystals so rad! Watch planet earth the caves edition oh and one of the more recent national geographic issues has a sick article on the cave and the formation of the crystals. If only I could figure out how to make a stable enviroment in my room to grab one of these crystals....

I believe they are gypsum crystals; you would need something more soluble than calcite. That cave has been known for a while; it's odd that the attention is suddenly so great.

MoapaPk wrote:I believe they are gypsum crystals; you would need something more soluble than calcite. That cave has been known for a while; it's odd that the attention is suddenly so great.

The cave was discovered more than 12 years ago.

MoapaPk wrote:

jonesa37 wrote:These are huge calcite crystals so rad! Watch planet earth the caves edition oh and one of the more recent national geographic issues has a sick article on the cave and the formation of the crystals. If only I could figure out how to make a stable enviroment in my room to grab one of these crystals....

I believe they are gypsum crystals; you would need something more soluble than calcite. That cave has been known for a while; it's odd that the attention is suddenly so great.

I stand corrected. I totally messed, up when I wrote that up, they are gypsum, haha and I call myself a geologist. Ever since Planet Earth this cave has exploded into the mass media.

While on the subject of geology I do believe that large calcite crystals are also possible some crystals found in iceland were ~250 tons (P. C. Rickwood (1981). "The largest crystals". American Mineralogist 66: 885–907. http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM66/AM66_885.pdf.)

When you say that you need something more soluble than calcite what are you referring to their formation or something else?

Both calcite and gypsum have retrograde solubility become less soluble in water as the temperature increases.
Sweet stuff! I always like a geology discussion!