Treasure Hunting

One of our favorite sites had something a little related to treasure hunting today so we thought we’d share.

National Geographic Magazine’s Photo Gallery shows some amazing images taken deep within the Crystal Palace of Mexico.

The conditions are extreme but the find is extraordinary. Massive beams of selenite have formed deep below the Chihuahuan Desert over the last millennial. These crystals are some of the largest every discovered on Earth and completely dwarf human explorers.

So how far beneath the Chihuahuan Desert are these crystals? Nearly 1,000 ft. down.

Researchers have to descend by truck through a serpentine mine shaft. Temperatures in the Cave of Crystals can reach upwards of 110 degrees Fahrenheit and researchers must wear ice-cooled suits, breathing packs and respirator masks to cool their body from the inside, out. This enables the researchers to be in the cave for at least 20 minutes, but many choose to stretch it to 80 minutes - which is well after the ice has melted. They also have air conditioned tents to provide short-term relief.

Currently the caves are privately owned and access to is limited, but researchers soon hope for legal protection to keep looters and foot traffic from harming the delicate, perfectly luminous crystals.

Which begs the question - Who the heck would loot 1,000 ft. down?!

Anyway - the longest crystal measures 37.4 ft in length and the oldest likely began growing about 600,000 years ago.

I know this isn’t treasure as we normally report, but it’s amazing none the less. Now if only we could get a metal detector to pick up treasure buried 1,000 ft. below the surface…. nah… we wouldn’t wanna dig that far down anyway! Check out the website at National Geographic for some of the most amazing, stellar, stunning, mind-boggling pictures you have ever seen in your LIFE.

- Shaun

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