Giant Crystal Cave

Cueva de los Cristales

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . . Superman's Fortress of Solitude exists! Actually, a cave in the Chihuahua desert in Mexico contains hundreds of huge crystal formations that each can measure 12 meters long and weigh 55 tons! It is called Cueva de los Cristales, or Giant Crystal Cave. It is one of the deadliest places on Earth because of the hostile environment inside it. Less than a hundred people have been inside the cave and, with 50° Celsius and a humidity of 100%, it's so deadly that even with respirators and suits of ice you can only survive for 20 minutes before your body starts to fail. It’s the nearest thing to visiting another planet.

Photo credit: Carsten Peter/Speleoresearch & Films published in National Geographic