Welcome! Today we're gonna explore a few caves of the world. that contain way more than creepy bats and ominous darkness...
Giant Crystal Cave
In the year 2000, brothers Huan and Pedro Sanchez were excavating a new tunnel about 980 ft. underground in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. Little did they know that they were about to uncover a treasure trove of gigantic ancient crystals. And when i say ancient, i mean more than 300,000 years ancient. The ridiculously tall crystal pillars paint the cave with a luminous, faint glow, which makes it feel like a place from a J.R.R Tolkien novel.
The pillars are actually called Selenite, the crystallized form of the mineral Gypsum. Beneath the cave lies a pool of magma, which heats up the cave like an oven.
The good part is that the magma made it possible for the gypsum to grow. The gypsum was cooled slowly, allowing them to grow super tall. Some even reach up to 30 ft.! The bad part is that the extreme heat makes the place nearly inhospitable. The cave maintains a harsh temperature of 50 to 58°C with intensely high humdity. They say you can only stay there for roughly 10 minutes, without special equipment.
Scientists or employees have to wear these refrigerated suits, to keep themselves cool because the combination of the high temperature and humidity prevents you from sweating. Penny Boston, a geomicrobiologist and astrobiologist, went on a search for evidence of life in the cave.( Yup, I had to google astrobiologist too).
She recalls her experience. "Even with the ice-packed suits on, I could feel the strength draining from my arms and legs, and movement growing harder and harder. Besides feeling like I was wading through hot molasses with my brain becoming slower and slower. My temper was unusually short". As you can see, the crystals function as some sort of human kryptonite, making it physically, and mentally demanding.
As of February 2017, it was brought to the attention of BBC news that mining operations have stopped, and the cave is once more re-flooded. Back in the day there were two main areas to explore, an upper cavern, and a lower one, though only the upper caverns are available for access under proper supervision since they don't want you to become human barbecue. Only scientists and employees may access the lower caverns due to the extreme conditions. Nature always seems to have that reoccurring theme of being alluring, yet dangerous at the same time.
Waitomo Caves
I didn't make a J.R.R Tolkien reference earlier for nothing. We're now in North Island of New Zealand, where an underground grotto hides thousands of brilliant blue lights that seem to twinkle from the ceilings and walls. The ethereal sight is actually caused by the resident glowworms of the cave.
They're a species of gnat called Arachnocampa Luminosa, which are unique to New Zealand, and is not a Harry Potter spell. The adult form of the larvae is less interesting than the juveniles. They can get about as long as a matchstick. In fact up close, both of them look like maggots, which if you decide to google image...don't look that nice. What's interesting about the juveniles is that they can use Bioluminescence, one of the most coolest features in Nature.
Bioluminescence is basically the ability of a living organism to produce light. Man, imagine if we could do that. Kalau rumah blackout takde la takut sangat. Anyway, the glowworm's contains chemicals that react with the oxygen in the air to produce a bluish, greenish light. The dangling strings you see are actually sticky threads made by the glowworms to trap prey. Once a poor victim gets caught in the thread, they pull it up for a tasty treat. Who knew glowworms knew how to fish?
The caves are a haven for the glowworms as they are damp, dark, and safe from most harm. This helps sell the glowworms' bait by ensuring that their enticing glow is clearly seen, and that the threads aren't damaged by factors like wind. The Waitomo caves are divided in two levels, one upper, and one lower. The upper level is dry, but hold magnificent rock formations. The lower one is flooded and is usually accessible by boat.
Visitors are told not to touch the walls or stalagmites as they are delicate. Plus stalagmites and stalactites take centuries to form so you wouldn't want to waste all that effort. It's not exactly a bright idea (hwek hwek hwek)
Fairy Cave
Fairy Cave or Gua Pari-pari, is located in Kuching, Sarawak, a few kilometers away from the small town of Bau. It's not your average limestone cave. The place does have some public facilities, but most of them seem to be engulfed in the mysterious greenery.
In fact, the whole cave is overgrown with all sorts of plant life. And it's a pretty huge cave. It's said that the cave plants are brimming with life, and look as if they had little human interference. You'd think it'd be tough for plants to grow on solid rock out of all things. But hey, if plants can pierce concrete pavements, I don't see why not.
As you go deeper into the cave, you'll see a bunch of strange stalactites, stalagmites, and limestone formations. Some of them even look human :O. Maybe it's because of the legend behind the cave. Mitos dia bunyi begini. A looooong time ago there were these cruel people that used to torture children. The fairies in the area hated this, and cursed them into stone. Hence the freaky stone formations. Yeah...don't mess with fairies.
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| See any faces? |
To trek further into the cave, you'll need an experienced guide, because it gets way darker (and creepier). You'll also need the ability to climb hundreds and hundreds stairs. Oh yeah, and watch out for bat droppings. Amidst all these obstacles, the cave transforms from having that Raiders of The Lost Ark vibe, to more of a quiet and calm one.
As far as caves go, Fairy Cave looks like your average cave, with that natural cave-y vignette, and that enticing, creepy entrance. But explore it, and you'll soon find that it is brimming with plant life, strange formations, and mysterious paths. Just...y'know...be sure to bring spare torchlights and stuff. You wouldn't want to sit in a dark cave with fairies now would ya? Unless...
Credits: http://tempatmenarikdisarawak.blogspot.my/2011/04/gua-pari-fairy-cave-bau-kuching.html
That concludes this issue of Peculiar Places on Planet Earth! As always , don't forget to say Masha Allah
whenever you see something beautiful;amazing;and all similar adjectives that i don't think i have the energy to type. Till next time!
