Cave of Crystals

Have you ever looked at a fantasy drawing of a cave, and the artist always adds larger than life depictions of crystals jutting out of all ends in the cavern? What if I told you that place is real? That's right! A cavern in Naica, Mexico of quartz crystals of gargantuan sizes was accidentally stumbled upon by over 2000 miners searching for silver and lead. Lying 900 feet below the the earth's surface, and having a humidex value of 228 degrees Fahrenheit, this is considered one of the most extreme enviornments on the planet. Without the protection of a special cooling suit, your body cannot shed internal heat, so you would literally be dying as you step inside, and death would come in a mere 15 minutes. Even with the suit, you could only withstand a maximum of 45 minutes. The exploration crew in charge of this cave takes extra preparations and precautions to ensure a safe exploration of the site. Records must be kept of each crew member entering through the steel door at the entrance and how long they have been inside. Lighting must be set up around the perimeter so the crew can see and mind their footing, since the crystals are very slippery due to the high humidity, and one slip could prove fatal, for the crystals are sharpened to deadly points. Paramedics are on standby near the entrance when any member has entered, and will monitor their status when they exit. The suits themselves are custom made, with several layers of protection, the first being an insulated vest protecting the individual from frostbite due to the icepacks attached in one of the layers, which is a special gel    that is frozen to cool the body's core temperature. Then there is a layer of overalls that is insulated and tough to protect the icepacks and the body from the sharp crystals and the heat. Then comes a backpack with insulated foam and frozen metal ice bottles with a fan blowing over them into a hose and facemask, allowing the individual to breathe the chilled air as long as the bottles remain frozen.
The writer of this entry on http://www.stormchaser.ca/caves/naica/naica.html was indeed one of the explorers that got to go inside, and he described his experience thus:

Actually going inside, wearing the suits and exploring the cave was a dream come true. I've never seen such a spectacular place. It was like setting foot on a new planet. Many of the crystals were so large that I couldn't even wrap my arms around them and the terrain was so difficult to walk on that we had to be extremely cautious not to slip and fall. Doing so would could get you impaled on a sharp crystal and would require a dangerous and difficult rescue.

 

Each minute you stay inside, the more unbearable it gets. You begin to breathe heavy, your hear rate jumps up and sweat is pouring down your hands. I was actually concerned that the sweat was going to short circuit my camera. It becomes easy to get confused and disoriented from the heat and your higher cognitive functions start to shut down. When you finally leave the cave, your body is so weak that all you want to do is lie down and drink. Dehydration is an obvious concern and I was amazed at how many liters of water I drank.

If you got to see something so spectacular, would you risk your life to do it? And how did such a beautiful and deadly place form?
500,000 years ago, the cavern was completely underwater, before the mine pumped out the water, which is the exact lifeline of this cave: when the mine is no longer viable, the pumps will stop, and all the 55 ton 36 foot long crystals of selenite and gypsum will be destroyed. So, why is it so hot down there? The cavern lies along a fault line, wherein lies a magma chamber right below the cave. The chamber heated up by the magma and the groundwater full of saturated minerals, and allowed for a stable enviornment so the crystals could grow in the water, until the miners broke into the cavern in 2000, awaking to cavern from its 500,000 year slumber.
For more information, watch the excerpt of it in the special Angry Earth, or at www.furiousearth.com. The person responsible for writing the article is also the main speaker in the episode AKA George Kourounis.
Now, here are some pretty pictures!!!
 Here he is, treading carefully over the massive crystals.
  ...And even bigger ones!!! With  all that they are wearing, it's a feat to even climb!!

 When filming, they need to make sure the battery is full, since  the harsh heat and humidity doesn't allow much functioning for the cameras.
  Here is the staging area where the team prepares their coolers and suits before entering, and even there the temp is about 41 degrees Celsius.

This week's commenting blog post 11/13/12

Here's what comments I have made this week (sorry, I skipped a few weeks, but here it is!):

http://geletoii.blogspot.com/

@http://lorrainapaz.tumblr.com/: On Field Trip entry: I really wanted to see those tarpits, but Mr. Pierce didn't include them in his itinerary, so we just went to Soda Lake, and along the stretch of the faultline. I didn't know asphalt could naturally be created and trap organisms in them like insects in amber! I did see a number taratullas on the road(scared the ____out of me!!) even though my compatriats didn't believe me...


http://pearlrose91.wordpress.com/

@http://csromance.tumblr.com/: On Drilling Entry: That is one costly mission! I wonder what the scientists will find out from the bottom of a hole only 30 cm across! I hope the information can help us in the future!

The Cruel and Beautiful Carpathians

There are a ton of mountain ranges in the world to hike and discover; there are well known ones such as the Appalacians, the Rockies, the Himalayas, the Andes, and of course, our beloved Sierra Nevadas. But I decided today that I wanted to learn more about a mountain range running along the depths of Eastern Europe, that many people find beautiful, but also very deadly; The Carpathian Mountain Range. What better way to learn about it than to go to the source; that is http://www.carpathians.pl/carpathians02.html. Here's a picture to get a better idea of where it is I'm blogging about from www.worldatlas.com:
So, this chain runs from northeast Slovakia, western Ukrain and into the heart of Romania, north of the capital of Bucharest. most of them were formed from nappe character, or the rock being folded over and over to form huge steeples and massive faces. many of these nappes have different names throughout the region, depending if they are in the Inner or Outer Carpathians. In the eastern part of the Outer range, they were molded by Skole nappe, and the western part by Silesian nappe. There are others overlaying each other like Magura, Chernogora, and Tacau nappe. Now lets get the the Inner Carpathians. The Inner range is in the form of blocks, and some of these are the western block of central Slovakia, the east and southern blocks containing Eastern Serbia and Banat(the ethnic population name of most of Central Europe), Bihor Massif and Apuseni mountains of Romania, Bihor being the highest  part of the Apuseni, Curcubăta Mare being it's highest peak at 6,066 feet. These mountains have ancient metamorphic cores that have been recrystallized, and younger sedimentary rocks such as limestone and dolomite have been thrust outward. the innermost range of the Carpathians was developed from Tertiary volcanic rock formations of about 50 million in age, but not consistent from west to east. Like in the picture, they arc from east to west, but are for the most part straight from north to south, flowing on the line of tectonic dislocation. now here are some of the rocks and formation that can be found in each block: central Slovakian Block has minor basins filled with Tertiary rocks, while the ranges have older formations. Mountain formation ended about 10 MYA in Romania, and due to the sedimentary rock upheaval, a sub division of the Carpathians formed off-brand to the true Carpations, creating a depression. The folding that formed the Inner range roughly ended around the late Cretaceous period (97.5-66.4 MYA) and as such, ancient Tertiary formation have survived. The later movements gave the range it's steep valleys and different flat-topped releif forms, giving the Danube river time to weave it's way through and develop several tributaries: the Vah, Hernad, and Olt. So were they affected by the Ice age? Of course! Well, at least the top parts of the Carpathians, where glaciers formed oly abou 10 miles lone, and 5,500 feet above sea level. So why are these mountains cruel for the clueless tourist? Well, considering the fact that they are very high and steep, the climate is very dry and retains a very cold air in the upper regions, which get about 70 inhces of precipitaion a year (that is a lot!!) and the temperatures are rarly consistant on a monthly basis, so you don't know what might happen while hiking. The forests of these areas of Europe are very thick with pine, spruce, oak, you name it. Just remember if you don't know the area, stick to the trails and never go off, because it is very easy to get lost.And you also might want to be extra careful when climbing these mountains, because there are bears, lynx, wolves and boars roaming around. If you're touring the Southern part of the Carpathians, get ready to camp in the cold, cause you might not find a lot of people very high up, so stick to the valleys where the population thrives. A quick guide to who might be in certain blocks: Western block is  mainly inhabited by Czechs, Northern slope by the Polish, Central Western part by Slovacks, southern by Hungarians, the Northeast by Ukranians, the Transylvanian Plateau inhabited by Hungarians and Germans, and the Southwest beyon the Danube gap is where the Serbs reside. So if you don't speak any of these languages, get your Iphone app ready! Plus in my opinion, touring these mountains and appreciating its beauty and geology is not good to do on your own, but maybe with a tour company, like goabroad.com!
Some of the things you can  find in these majestic, but dangerous mountains is the rich culture of of many eastern European countries. There are many ancient structures and castles  lining and built on the edifices of the mountains, such as Rasnov Castle and Bran Castle, and many villages that are tourist friendly and have many fascinating tales to tell, such as Huedin in Romania, a town at the base of the Apuseni Mountains. If you every get a chance to go to Europe, and happen to love epic mountain ranges and culture, you know where to go! And here's some pictures from wikipedia of some of the fortresses and landscapes!!
Here's the fortress at Rasnov
And here's Bran Castle; one of the homes of Vlad Tepes himself.
Here's a pretty Carpathian view from the main website.
And one that's more epic!

And here's a magnificent formation near Brasov in Romania.

The Lost Continent of Atlantis

"  A little while afterwards there were great earthquakes and floods, and your warrior race all sank into the earth; and the great island of Atlantis also disappeared in the sea. This is the explanation of the shallows which are found in that part of the Atlantic ocean." -Plato, Critias.

At some point or another, we have all heard of a mythical continent that was said to be located west of the Pillars of Hercules( Straits of Gerbralter), and home to a people of vast knowlege and technology, and in a single day and night, said to have been completly swallowed by  the sea. Was this place actual fact and not myth? And how could a whole continent be swallowed by the ocean in one day? How could a whole race of people go unnoticed throughout history? And could this be an actual account of a phenominal geologic occurence?  A whole bunce of people, including me, want answers to these questions, but lets look at actual accounts before we delve into theory.Here's what Dr. Iain Stewart of http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/atlantis_01.shtml thinks.  Plato, that famous greek philosopher we all know and love, wrote two accounts, Timaeus and Critias, and he described the continent " bigger than Asian and Libya combined," in the Atlantic Ocean, and the continent's control expanded to Eygpt and  Tyyrhenia (Italy). It was  home to a people descended from Poseidon, God of Seas and Earthquakes. So with all these "god-like" descendents, the lineage was bound to be diluted by "mortal stock," and this dillution lead to the Atlanteans going to war with their former ally, the Athenians(Athens).In the reference above, Plato is describing the Athenians trying to invade Atlantis, but failing to do so and being killed by the swallowing of the entire continent into the sea, as if Poseidon was having some return policy with his race....So, if there are a lot of accounts about who and what these people were, why isn't there a where? Even Plato wasn't getting into too much detail about the location, since that description was only a few hundred words, according to Dr. Stewart, and there are a lot of theories of where it might have been. Some of them are that the continent lay near the Caribbean, South China Sea, near Antartica, and even French Polynesia. Some people even think these Atlanteans were actually the Minoan society of the island of Thera, completly devestated by the Thera eruption, said to have occurred in the second millenium BCE, with an explosivity of 6 or 7. The Santorini  volcano is in fact a marine one (from http://www.minoanatlantis.com/Minoan_Catastrophe.php) with its  magma chamber close to sea level. It is part of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, on the convergent plate boundry of the African and Eurasia plate. The Minoan city of Akrotiri was completely engulfed in ash and pumice from the explosion, and even evidence of a major tsunami swept away many Minoan settlements and a large earthquake was thought to have preceded the Thera eruption. Could this be the fabled civilization described by Plato in his accounts? Here's some pictures of the island and the fallout excavation. (FYI, Thera is the ancient name of the island we know as Santorini, just in case you got confused!!)

The island of Thera, with the volcano , submerged in the middle (from http://www.minoanatlantis.com/Minoan_Catastrophe.php)
The excavation of a settlement in Akrotiri. (from wikipedia.org)

So before we get into another theoretical location, you might be wondering when this could have happended. Well, Plato wrote Timaeus and Critias in 360 BC, and he stated in Timaeus that this event occured 9,000 years before the time of Solon,a famous Athenian lawmaker, dating it about 9,600 BC.
Here's another cool theory about the mythical location:

On http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42072469/ns/technology_and_science-science, a group of U.S scientists think they found it's location off of Spain, near its mud flats, due to a tsunami. The team looked at satellite imagery of north of Cadiz, Spain,  and believe this metropolis is buried in the marshlands of  Dona Ana Park.
A scientist by the name Richard Freund lead this group of geologists and archaeologists in 2009-2010, all using state-of-the-art tech such as underwater mapping and deep ground radar. Interestingly enough, he and his group found a series of "memorial cities built in Atlantis' image by its  refugees after the city's likely destruction by a tsunami. Here's a satellite image of what these submerged structures look like:
 
Freund claims that these concentric rings of land may have existed during Atlanis' "hey-day", and comparing to Plato's descriptions in his writings in 360 B.C, it seems quite possible for this structure to have existed. Freund even took into account of the Minoan Catastrophe Theory on the Island of Santorini/Thera. He states that tsunamis in this region are quite well documented, compared to evidence of one 1755, in Libson. He and his team of experts plan to further investigate these geologic structures and hopefully discover and date more artifacts.  If you guys want to see the whole journey, check out National Geographic's special, Finding Atlantis. Here's what artists think the memorial cities may have looked like:

So, what does this mean in terms of geology? Did Poseidon really reclaim his tainted people? Or did a catastrophic earthquake, volcanic eruption, AND a tsunami nearly wipe out a mythical city? Hungry for more, I went to http://www.atlantisquest.com/Geology.html, to find out what may be the case here. The plethora of geologists and experts quoted on this site, such as Dr. Malaise of Sweden, believe that the submerged continent is in fact a "large mid-Atlantic plateau known as the Azore Plateau," with a total area of 300,000 square miles (pretty big!). A lot of these experts didn't accept the idea of the "rising of the sea level by 5,000 feet," but what about a continent sinking? They give examples of sunken continental crust such as that of New Zealand and New Caledonia, saying that they were part of a bigger area of continental crust, now below sea level. They also quote the theory of sea-floor upheaval, the idea that a whole continent could be "submerged due to tectonic forces," seems to make sense right, since this plateau is in almost the exact place Plato described? Well, one scientist by the name of Hamish Cambell states that this is possible, yet only in the event that "this happened over a period of a million years." Well, now this whole thing seems to be debunked, since Plato stated Atlantis sunk in one day and night! But many still believe this is not the case for the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, claiming to be the "most intensely active area," and things "tend to happen faster in that segment of the earth's crust."  Back in the time Pangaea was breaking apart, the Azore Plateau had remained eats of the ridge, but was constantly battered by "seismic turmoil, appearing and dissappearing more than once," and the uplifting of crust due to the " rotation  of the plates, vulcanism, subduction, ect." Another debunker stated by other experts claim " the Mid-Atlantic ridge is made of basaltic material, it can't be a part of a continent!" John Speicher, another expert, states that " plate tectonics were the enemy of Atlantis; it created and destroyed it." More claim that this continent could have been habitable in a "mere thousand years" it could have "developed a collection of flora and fauna." Here's some picture of what the  Azore Plateau looked like as an island:
 
And how it looked in the formation of Pangaea before the breakage:

After an amount of core drillings and other experiments, let's go back a little further to some earlier expeditions, revealing some interesting occurences of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge:
In 1936, Charles S. Piggot and the U.S Geological Survey did a series of deep core soundings that discovered that the ridge was indeed above sea level from 10,000 to 20,000 years ago! Almost around the time that Plato stated the island above water 9,000 years from his past! The sediment deposits around the ridge suggest that it had two different currents running in opposite directions and heavy volcanic ash on the sides of the slope, dating around 12,000 years ago. Of all I have discussed, this piece of evidence seems to tie all this in: The writings, the disaster, the memorial cities, the plateau, all of it.
There is a lot more to discover, but I've sated my taste for adventure and understanding for now! I think it's absolutely mind-blowing, the lengths people go to to prove and discover evidence of this lost piece of myth and legend only described in a few hundred words. If you want to find out more evidence, head onto atlantiquest.com, or watch the NatGeo special Finding Atlantis that may come on TV soon, or go on your own research adventure online or in the library, or elsewhere.
However, I still thought the Disney movie was awesome!