by Lidija Drakulic

This interesting place is almost a thousand feet beneath the Naica silver mine. The chamber dubbed The Cave of Crystals is home to 36 pillars of solid crystal. It is also home to the largest known gypsums. They are soft minerals made out of hydrated calcium sulfate. The chamber was undiscovered for about half a million years. This was probably for the best, since the nearby magma deposits heat up the cavern to temperatures above 112 degrees Fahrenheit. The caverns were discovered in the year 2000, following mining operations. Visitors risk heat strokes just to see the beauty of this place in person.