Largest crystal length12 m
4.14Condor wingspans
17.9Flute lengths
13.3Arming swords
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Cave of Crystals (Naica)
A cave containing the largest natural crystals ever found/Natural Wonders
The Cave of Crystals (Cueva de los Cristales) lies 300 meters below the surface in the Naica Mine in Chihuahua, Mexico. It contains the largest natural crystals ever discovered: translucent selenite (gypsum) beams up to 12 meters long and weighing 55 tonnes. The crystals formed over roughly 500,000 years in mineral-rich water at a nearly constant temperature of about 58 degrees Celsius. Without protective suits and refrigeration equipment, humans can only survive inside for about 10 minutes due to the extreme heat and 99% humidity.
Measurements
Largest crystal diameter4 m
8.2 tenthsCanoes
13.3Light-nanoseconds
1High jump bar length
Largest crystal mass55,000 kg
5.5 septillionRhinovirus particles
1.1 quadrillionYeast cells
80.9Dairy cows
Cave depth below surface300 m
1,500Cucumber lengths
6Olympic pool lengths
1.1 trillionWater molecules
Cave temperature331 K
9.4 tenthsFresh bread loaves
1.7 tenthsBlast furnace cores
1.2Refrigerators
Chamber length27 m
1,417Penny diameters
150Bananas
257Bagel diameters
Chamber width9 m
13.6Pillow lengths
200Matchsticks