Inner space

INNER SPACE TERRANAUTS: This week, while astronauts orbited high above Earth installing new science equipment in the laboratories of the International Space Station, a team of terranauts descended into the Earth on their own mission of discovery. "We were not in outer space, but inner space," says explorer George Kourounis, who sends this picture from the Cave of Crystals in Naica, Mexico:
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Three hundred meters below Naica lies an alien world of giant crystals and nearly unbearable heat. "With an air temperature of 122 F and a relative humidity of more than 90%, it feels like 228 F in the cave," says Kourounis. "To survive in this extreme environment, we enter the cave wearing special suits with cooling packs inside and a backpack respirator which allows us to breath chilled air. Even with all this equipment, I will still be able to stay in the cave for no more than 45 minutes at a time."
Unprotected, even a scant 10 minutes could prove fatal--and that is why this amazing cavern discovered by miners nine years ago remains relatively unexplored. "Some of the crystals are 11 meters long and weigh as much as 55 tons," marvels Kourounis. "We had to be extremely cautious not to slip and fall. Doing so could get you impaled."
"Wearing the suit," he adds, "you feel like an astronaut who is about to go on a space walk." Make that an inner space walk. Click here for more pictures and anecdotes from the Cave of Crystals.

 

This planet of ours never fails to amaze
Thanks walnut

 

Hi, Walnut. Being a collector of rocks, minerals and gemstones, I found the programme depicting those crystal caves as brilliant! When I first saw some photos of this on the net, I thought that it was a hoax. I knew that some crystals grew to quite a large size, but these are in a league all of their own. Thanks for sharing it again.:gnthb:

 

I have a few bits and pieces s/man and a collection of fossils,
This is my cave not quite as big as the one in Mexico,


A few bits and pieces



Some fossils I collected from an open cast mine (not the amonite)

 

Hey! Nice one Walnut. That is a pretty cool collection you have there. I must see about taking some pictures of some of my collection as soon as I can. I'm going to make a note of it, otherwise my brain starts losing some of its content.

 

Hi again, Walnut. Here is a selection from my rock, mineral and crystal collection.

Nailhead calcite with marcasite nodules weighs about 40 kilos
Marble vase.
Fossils in matrix vase.
Peacock ore. Sand rose. Aragonite. Gypsum.
Quartz crystals on marble base.
Smokey quartz. Pyrites. 2 Agate specimens.
Quartz crystals. Agate Geode. Tiger-eye sphere. Hollow Agate specimen.
Rose Quartz. Rose quartz sphere. Apophyllite crystals. Octahedron Fluorite crystal.









Hope you like them...:gnthb:

 

Brilliant collection S/man love the peacock ore.
This is a polished slab of fossil marble approx 3ft x 2ft originally from the atlas mountains with ammonites and orthoceras I must have one of the oldest coffee tables in the world it's approx 400million years old.

 

I reckon that you coffee table makes for an excellent conversation piece, Walnut, it's fantastic!!

 

Just a few more from my collection.

Belemnite and Ammonite fossils

Citrine Quartz crystal


Insect inside polished Amber


Amber with seed and bubble inclusions


Close-up of Nailhead Calcite with Marcasite nodules


There's a wonderful natural world of rocks and minerals out there around us. Enjoy :thumb:

 

Great stuff s/man that's a perfect insect inside the amber.:gnthb:

 

Thanks for the link Woo he has some interesting stuff he should have got you to do the video or some decent stills it was a bit all over the place and didn't show the specimens at their best,good on him for opening the place but it's not everybodies cup of tea he is going to have to rely on the internet to keep in buisness,good luck to him.:thumb:

 

Cheers Walnut. The insect in Amber is quite obviously where Jurassic Park got its idea for ancient DNA from.:wink: Thanks for the Rock and Fossil shop link, Woo, they have a lot to get excited about in there. I agree with what Walnut says about this shop's business. He will indeed have to rely upon the internet for the majority of his customers.:thumb: