Naica Cave grew gypsum crystals meters long in hot mineral brine
Mexico’s Cave of Crystals at Naica held gypsum beams several meters long — among the largest natural crystals known — grown over vast time in warm, mineral-saturated water.
Mining lowered the water table and revealed the chamber, but heat and humidity made exploration brief and dangerous. Without the long, stable brine bath, such giants could not have formed.
A cave can be a crystal greenhouse. Naica shows underground chemistry, given patience and the right fluid, can outbuild any laboratory sculpture.
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