Naica Cave of Crystals Mexico - DEADLY GIANT selenite crystals cave // The Naica Giant Cave of Crystals is one of the most fascinating, yet potentially deadly, places on Earth. The Giant Crystal Cave, located close to Naica in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, is home to enormous selenite crystals. A fascinating natural heritage site, the Naica Cave was completely flooded with mineral-rich water for millions of years. Anhydrite, the predominant mineral in the Cave of Crystals, transformed, in time and under the right conditions, into selenite. These crystals grew over time to form the giant crystals we can admire today in the Crystal Cave in Naica, Mexico. In order to enter the Giant Crystal Cave, one would have to wear protective cooling gear, and even with the protective equipment, it's still going to be a short visit, otherwise the cave environment becomes very dangerous to one's health, and could potentially even lead to death. Subscribe to my newsletter and get updates on my upcoming Sci-Fi & Fantasy novels, my creative journey, & updates on new Wonders of Heritage videos: https://www.mariabaias.com/newsletter My blog: https://www.mariabaias.com/blog My Creative Journey: https://www.mariabaias.com/blog/categories/my-creative-journey Blog post about the Naica Cave of Crystals: https://www.mariabaias.com/post/naica-cave-of-crystals-mexico Timecodes: 0:00 – Intro to Naica Cave 1:00 – Discovery of the Giant Crystal Cave 1:24 – The giant crystals in Naica Cave 1:58 – How was the Cave of Crystals formed? 2:30 – What is selenite? What is gypsum? 4:24 – Why are the Naica cave crystals so big? 4:44 – What is anhydrite? 5:48 – Temperature and humidity in Naica cave 6:20 – Deadly crystal cave environment 7:28 – Reflooding of the Naica cave What is natural heritage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZNEW7QKbA0 What is cultural heritage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbnXgvCOuIg Connect with me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormariabaias Twitter: https://twitter.com/NetaNMR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NetaNMR About me: My name is Maria Baias and I’m a scientist turned Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer. While teaching a university course on Inorganic Chemistry, I became fascinated by minerals and rocks and the role they play in shaping interesting geological formations. That, combined with my research background in Heritage Science are what led to my interests in using science to explore and understand the wonders of our planet. I’m happy to share those stories with the rest of the world through this channel and my blog: https://www.mariabaias.com/blog #WorldHeritage #NaturalHeritage #caves Resources: C&EN ("Naica’s crystal cave captivates chemists"): https://cen.acs.org/physical-chemistry/geochemistry/Naicas-crystal-cave-captivates-chemists/97/i6 Mindat selenite: https://www.mindat.org/min-5527.html Mindat gypsum: https://www.mindat.org/min-1784.html Mindat anhydrite: https://www.mindat.org/min-234.html How Stuff Works ("Mexico's Giant Crystal Cave Is Beautiful But Deadly"): https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/mexico-giant-crystal-cave.htm How It Works ("Inside the deadly Cave of Crystals"): https://www.howitworksdaily.com/inside-the-deadly-cave-of-crystals/ Jstor Daily ("Exploring Mexico’s Otherworldly Cave of Crystals"): https://daily.jstor.org/exploring-mexicos-otherworldly-cave-of-crystals/ Mercury 4.0: from visualization to analysis, design and prediction C. F. Macrae, I. Sovago, S. J. Cottrell, P. T. A. Galek, P. McCabe, E. Pidcock, M. Platings, G. P. Shields, J. S. Stevens, M. Towler and P. A. Wood, J. Appl. Cryst., 53, 226-235, 2020 [DOI: 10.1107/S1600576719014092] Gypsum crystal structure: 13259.cif from J.C.A. Boeyens, V.V.H. Ichharam, Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie (2002) 217, 9 Picture of the giant gypsum crystals of the Cave of the Crystals: Cristales cueva de Naica.JPG by author Alexander Van Driessche from Wikimedia commons (CC by 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cristales_cueva_de_Naica.JPG All the other images are from Canva. Music - "Up Kilkenny (Instrumental version)" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/