Its huge crystals, 14 meters long and two meters thick, were located inside a cave in which no one could stay inside for more than a few minutes: when the first images of the Nica Crystal cave went viral, the world was amazed.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the cave’s discovery, it still amazes us.
This incredible cave is one of the few places that can be called, at once, “the most beautiful place on earth” and “one step from hell.” It was always accessible only from the tunnel of Mexico’s largest lead-zinc-silver mine, Nike, which was operated by Industrias Phenols in Chihuahua, but today both that tunnel and the cave are completely underwater. But in reality it may be to the benefit of a natural phenomenon.
Recently, I met Carlos Lascono, the first scientist, historian, and historian, to set foot in Nike Crystal Cave. He recalled that experience:
“Twenty years ago, many of my geography colleagues worked in the mines of Chihuahua, and one day I went out with them for a while. This is what I bumped into with the mine foreman Nika.
“When we talked, they mentioned that they had dug a new side tunnel, where an air conditioning unit had to be installed. In the process, they said they had entered a new cave: do I want to see it?
“I told him that of course, I soon discovered that there were large crystals in the previous caves that they had seen at Nike. The cave of the sword The Cave of the Swords, discovered in 1910, was very famous. 100 years old, it still boasted of having four meter long crystals, what was fascinating was that it was so curious as to what it must have been like the first time they got into it.
Lascono found his answer when he entered the Cave of Crystals.
“It was amazing with the big letters! I was surprised not only by the size of the crystals, but also by the aggressiveness of the environment around them. The temperature was 50 C (122 F) with 100% humidity. “
Coincidentally, Lascono was visited by Claude Chabert, one of the most famous caves in France.
“In April or May 2000, we got full credit for exploring the cave, so we were both the first spobologists to try to read it. We were both excited by those strange giant crystals, but at the same time, we couldn’t believe how hostile the cave was. We couldn’t stay more than five minutes on the trip. If we tried to change it in six minutes, it would feel like we were dying! “
It so happened that he was in contact with his friends from the Italian La Venta Association, which organizes underground scientific trips. He knew they were exploring volcanic caves with temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius (176 F), so he wrote them a letter and sent them pictures.
“I can’t believe how quickly they showed up here… that’s where Project Nike started!”
The Nica project, which includes 12 work trips to explore the cave and study everything in it, was organized by the La Venta Exploration Group, which derives its name from the 1990 Spelo-Archaeological Project with the La Venta River in Chiapas. Here the team discovered and explored dozens of caves, most of which were used by the Jack Indians until 300 BC. Since then, La Venta has carried out projects from Myanmar to Patagonia.
I had the privilege of meeting some of the scientists who participated in the Nica project and asked their opinion about the work in this cave. One of those scientists was Paulo Fordi, a professor at the University of Bologna. Co-author of the book Fordy Minerals from the caves of the world And former president of the International Union of Spology. When he shows me a trip to the desert caves of Saudi Arabia in a business suit, he is one of the funniest people I have ever met.
“Don’t worry,” he said in his singularity Fortian English. “In a minute I’ll turn into a real cave now!” From his pocket he took out the most magnificent paper kettle made of indestructible immersion.
“What is working in that cave?” I asked Fordy.
“I never dreamed of my youth, I never imagined seeing crystals like this, Very beautiful, very perfect (Very nice, very perfect). In theory, there is no perfection in this world, but the closest thing to perfection on our planet is Nike crystals. So I have to say that Nike’s ‘adventure’ may be the most exciting and scientifically productive process of my entire splenological life. “
The other unique researcher I know, Dr. Penelope “Penny” Boston, is well known among cave scientists for her study of the Villa Loos Cave in Tabasco, home to colonies of “snotites”, bacteria shaped stalactite. Sulfuric acid.
Today he works with NASA and is a leader in the design of techniques to explore volcanic tubes on Mars.
“How did you find the Crystal Cave?” I asked her.
“Hahaha டாக hot!” She answered. “It was like being in a sanana for a long time, climbing on difficult feet and trying to do subtle science operations at the same time. It was very challenging. “
I know you went into Nike looking for signs of life hidden in the windows. “Did you find something?” I asked her.
“Yes,” Boston replied. “We developed many interesting microbial cultures taken from the liquid in additions taken from giant crystals. We also studied the organisms that we extracted from the wonderful red material in the walls. Clay and iron oxides appear to ‘stick’ to microfibers. “
In 2017, Boston announced that the cultures in which she and her colleagues grew from dormant microorganisms inside crystals were genetically unlike anything known on Earth. He also suggested that the microbes must have been trapped in crystals somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000 years.
When I asked him if he had any other ideas about her
Extraordinary experience, Boston’s eyes dreamed.
“The beauty of the environment is fully penetrated. It is a wonderful gift to be able to experience that wonderful place and to help improve the scientific understanding of how this system came about. ” [of] These are wonderful microbes that live in this extreme environment, ”he said. “When I first walked in… tears came to my eyes. I put my hands around some large crystals. I felt like it was actually part of the cave system. That day, when I went out, I wrote a poem about it. “
At the top of the La Venta Project, the Mexican director of photography Gonzalo Infonde decided to make a documentary within Nike, which will allow the world to see what is definitely called the “Eighth Miracle”.
All of the video cameras Infonde tested failed, eventually trying to shoot one movie at a time using a Nikon camera equipped with a robot. “To get 10 seconds of film, the robot had to shoot six hours of still images,” Infant said. “A lot of times, we quit and it has been running all night.”
The results of Infante’s efforts Clip de National Geographic Using your shots.
A few years ago, Nike miners entered the aquifer. Try as hard as you can, you can’t stop the flow of water. As a result, that area of mine and the cave are now flooded.
But nothing could be better for those giant cave systems, which had already begun to deteriorate as they sank into air rather than water. Today they are preserved, who knows: one day in the future, humanity may once again see the largest natural crystals in the world for a few brief moments.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Nike Scientific Society’s discovery, Nike the crystal cavesThis year a 255-page English coffee table book with spectacular photos will be released. Sales association.
The author has lived near Guadalajara de Jalisco for 31 years and is its author. A Guide to Quacimontons and the Surrounding Area of Western Mexico And co-author Exterior in western Mexico. See more of his writings On your website.
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