Dr. Volcano, also known as, Dr. Dougal Jerram, in June 2011 left his academic position at Durham University to set up DougalEARTH Ltd. and embark on an exciting new career as an independent geological consultant and researcher.He also set himself up as a media consultant, becoming involved in science outreach and popular science entertainment.
On his website DougalEARTH, Dr. Jerram states that he is, “aiming to make science more accessible to the general public and promoting our understanding of the planet.”
As part of his media work, Dr. Volcano had the extraordinary opportunity to visit the Naica Project in Mexico known as Cueva de los Cristales or the Cave of Crystals, in the Fall of 2011.
The cave is also known as the Giant Crystal Cave and Superman’s Cave, since it resembles the Arctic home of the comic book character Superman.
Located about 1000 feet (about 300 meters) below the Earth’s surface, the cave contains gigantic crystals of selenite (gypsum, CaSO4•2H2O) that are some of the largest known crystals on Earth.
The largest crystals in the cave are nearly 40 feet (12 meters) tall!
The Cave of Crystals was first discovered in 2000 by miners who were excavating a new tunnel for the silver, zinc, and lead mine owned by the Industrias Peñoles mining company.
Previously, a similar cave known as Cueva de las Espadas or the Cave of Swords was discovered in 1910. This cave is also located at Naica but at a shallower depth of about 400 feet (about 120 meters).
However, the selenite crystals in the Cave of Swords are smaller, with a maximum size of about 6 feet (2 meters).
In addition, many of the crystals from the Cave of Swords have been removed from the cave and transported to other places, such as museums.
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