Footage from inside "Cueva de los Cristales", Chihuahua, Mexico.

Some amazing footage filmed inside the The Giant Crystal Cave ( Cueva de los Cristales) of Mexico for the documentary "How Earth made us".




As the programme producer states below, the cave isn't a very hospitable place:

The Deadliest place on Earth? Surviving Cueva de los Cristales - The Giant Crystal Cave

Summary: Filming in the Giant Crystal Cave for 'How Earth Made Us'. One of the deadliest places on the planet.

It's 50oC and has a humidity of 100%, less than a hundred people have been inside and it's so deadly that even with respirators and suits of ice you can only survive for 20 minutes before your body starts to fail. It’s the nearest thing to visiting another planet – it’s going deep inside our own.

For 'How Earth made us' I have been lucky enough to film everywhere from tiny Pacific islands to the centre of the Sahara desert, yet nowhere could could prepare me for filming in The Giant Crystal Cave - Cueva de los Cristales of Mexico.

www.ironammonite.com...

Wow that is awesome, I never even heard of that place. It looks like something you'd find on an alien planet.

i saw this on the discovery channel awhile back with my dad, it really amazing that something like this was found, even though it really hard to explore because it so deadly

I have seen photos of this amazing location before but this is the first video I have seen of the interior!

Talk about walking into a microwave oven! That place looks harsh!

I think I will spend my vacation on the Pacific beaches still, thanks though.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Thanks for the replies, I've seen the pics before but its the first time I've seen any footage.. and its pretty awesome stuff.

Makes you wonder what else is down there that we haven't discovered yet.

Cueva de los Cristales

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Caves -the world beneath the world

Cheers.

Wow, amazing to be able to walk inside a giant crystal geode formation like that, and the size of those crystals in there are unbelievable.

Reminds me a bit about a place in Australia called 'crystal mountain' where a whole hillside is just literally covered with quartz crystals from top to bottom, doubt none as large scale as those in that mine but there are big ones the futher down one digs, most are all see-through clear as well, not just plain white as those seen in that clip.

They had a cool documentary on this cave on Discovery in December of last year. A group of scientists went in to do all kinds of tests. One found extremophiles in there.

Apparently, they want to re-flood it to preserve it.

IRM

reply to post by InfaRedMan


IRM, those pesky extremophiles get everywhere -is there actualy anywhere they don't live?

Seriously I'm all for preservation though - imagine how big those babies will get in another 600,000 years if they reflood they cave.


Good article from National Geographic:

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Crystals threatened

The crystals could also be threatened by the lack of water. When the cave was filled, water helped support and preserve the beams. Now, with the cave empty and open to air, they may over time bend or crack under their own weight and become dull, as gases such as carbon dioxide wash in. The director of the mine told me his company, Peñoles, is dedicated to preserving them, but the company's main interest isn't crystals, and the basic activities of mining—blasting, trucks stirring up dust—threaten the gallery. Badino and others hope to convince the company to do more (lobbying for UNESCO World Heritage status has been mentioned), but so far the crystals exist in limbo, probably more famous outside Mexico than within.

ngm.nationalgeographic.com...

Cheers.

[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

New National Geographic documentary on the Cueva de los Cristales:

Giant Crystal Cave

It looks like Superman's fortress. Hidden deep beneath the surface of the Earth is one of the greatest natural marvels on the planet: a giant crystal cave with crystals up to 36 feet long and weighing 55 tons. But this scorching cavern could kill humans after just 15 minutes of exposure. Follow an international team of scientists as they don high-tech protective gear to safely unlock the secrets of the crystal cave. They'll attempt to answer the questions, What are the crystals made of? How did they reach such superheroic proportions? And is there life here?

Link

reply to post by karl 12


Sadly it will disappear, it was once filled with water, they pump the water out to mine, I think they said this will destroy it,

It is magnificent, so amazing, the earth we live on.



[edit on 103131p://bSunday2010 by Stormdancer777]

reply to post by karl 12


It reminds me of journey to the center of the earth.

reply to post by redgy


Do you have any pictures?

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
reply to post by karl 12

 

It reminds me of journey to the center of the earth.

Stormdancer, me too.

There's a great site here featuring the caves with some more info about the crystals:

The Giant Crystal Project

Cheers.