The world's largest crystal cave that surprised scientists

 

An abandoned silver mine in Pulpi, Spain's southeastern province of Almeria, is a treasure that did not originate from any precious metal. Instead, what's buried here is the world's largest geode (piece of precious stones in rocks) - a natural crystal masterpiece that has baffled scientists. As geologist and Pulpy Geode coordinator Mila Carretero explained, a geode is a cavity inside a rock that is covered with crystals. Seated against the backdrop of an oversized crystal pillar, Mela Keretero breaks a small rock with tiny gems inside to illustrate the difference. "That's what's on my backside, only it's a big chunk," he laughed, pointing to his backside.

The pulpy geode is eight meters wide, two meters high and two meters deep. "When it comes to geodes, this is the greatest discovery ever," he said. He added that Pulpi should not be compared with another crystal wonder, the Naica Mine in Mexico, which has 15-meter long crystal pillars but is a cave with crystals instead of geodes. Here in Spain, the geode was originally discovered by miners in Mena Rica, a silver mine that continued to be mined from 1873 to 1969. But years later, in 1999, geologists rediscovered it and brought it to the world's attention.

"When the miners blasted the rock and found the geode, they probably got upset because they didn't like looking for crystals," says Kiritiro. 'It meant extra work for them to get rid of because they were very heavy and not profitable.' Although scientists are still researching it, they believe that the entire area was once underwater. At a certain point, volcanic activity broke up the sedimentary rocks and filled them with hot fluids. As the fluid cooled, crystals began to form.

Adorable crystal cave 

According to geologists, the anhydrite (the mineral that made up the rocks) in Pulpi dates back to the age of the dinosaurs, about 250 million years ago, but they can't be sure about the age of the gypsum crystals themselves because there are so few of them. Mixtures are found. Historians estimate that the crystals began growing less than 2 million years ago. "The slower the crystal grows, the larger its size," said Carreiro. And the crystal is so perfect. The mine was opened to the public in 2019 after some debris was cleared and safety measures, including the installation of a 42-meter emergency staircase, were installed. In the process, workers find items left behind by the original miners,Among them were cigarettes, jackets, rubber sandals, beer bottles and graffiti on the wall. More than 100,000 people have visited the geode so far, and Keretero's team carefully monitors temperature, carbon dioxide and humidity to ensure the crystal's safety. "More moisture than carbon dioxide can damage the crystal," he said. 'Because if a layer (of moisture) gets on the crystals, they lose their transparency.' Pulpy's crystals are extraordinarily transparent, and visitors and scientists alike marvel at the natural sight. "I can't put into words what I felt when I saw him," Kiritiro said. It is indescribable because it makes us realize how small we are.

See what nature has given us.