With lengths over 11m, the giant gypsum crystals found in Mexico's Cueva de los Cristales are a great natural wonder. Now, a Spanish-Mexican team thinks it can explain how these marvels acquired their immense form. The scientists studied tiny pockets of fluid trapped in the crystals and conducted back-up lab experiments. They report in the journal Geology that the solution from which the crystals grew must have been kept in a very narrow, stable temperature range. The researchers' analysis leads them to believe there are other dramatic caves waiting to be discovered in the Naica mine complex south-east of Chihuahua city. For the full story and photo: Click Here .

DA Morgan