everydaydude:

Found this lil ice sickle just outside of Lake Tahoe. 6 more images and a small recount are on Full Frame Collective.

Donner Pass, CA | 2013

opticoverload:

Crystal formations in a Pool

I see carbonates! Looks to be calcite and/or aragonite. So, so, so beautiful!

I’ve been informed that Into The Lost Crystal Caves is currently on NatGeo Channel right now. It’s a fantastic documentary which I highly suggest. It’s a cave in Mexico that has these massive gypsum crystals as seen above. You can watch the documentary (if you get the channel) or read through this link about the temperature conditions that scientists must battle through, what it took to form these crystal caves, what’s living there, and much more. Definitely some amazing eye candy for us geology people.

10 Most Incredible Cave Waterfalls On Earth
→ Pictured here: Ruby Falls, Tennessee, USA. Gaping Gill, UK. Waiahuakua Sea Cave, Hawaii, USA. Natural Bridge, Springbrook Park, Australia.

10 Most Incredible Cave Waterfalls On Earth
→ Pictured here: Ruby Falls, Tennessee, USA. Gaping Gill, UK. Waiahuakua Sea Cave, Hawaii, USA. Natural Bridge, Springbrook Park, Australia.

geologise:

Cave Of The Crystals | Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico

I remember when this was first discovered, and how blown away I was when photos were released of this magnificent wonder. There’s a documentary out there called, “Naica: Beyond The Crystal Cave” and another that hits on other sister caves as well, “Into The Lost Crystal Caves”. Definitely interesting if you want to watch them go through the cave to get samples and explore. A dangerous but extremely satisfying task! Here’s a bit of information on the Crystal Caves in Naica, Mexico.

• It contains some of the largest (in size, mass, length, etc) natural crystals ever found on Earth. A Gypsum beam was found to be 11 metres (36 feet) in length, 4 metres (13 feet) in width, and weigh around 55 tons.
• It is found in a horseshoe-shaped cavity of limestone rock, which used to be full of mineral-rich hot water, but has since been kept drained.
• The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity.
• The cave was filled with mineral-rich hot water (a constant 50 °C+) for around 500,000 years, which let these crystals form under the right conditions.

I’ve added a few links that take you to more photos and articles as well (along with its sister caves).

• Return To The Crystal Caves
• Giant Crystal Cave Comes To Light
• Cave Of The Crystals
• Giant Crystal Caves Yield New “Ice Palace”

geologise:

Echo Hall - Camps Gulf Cave (by _Tim Curtis_)

Camps Gulf Cave is located in Tennessee at the Fall Creek Falls State Park. There are a few others, like Rumbling Falls Cave, which is the second largest cave chamber in the United States. All caves are currently closed in order to save the bats that live there from WNS.

Cathedral Hall - Blue Spring Cave (by _Tim Curtis_)

scinerds:

Thurston Lava Tube

The Thurston Lava Tube, shown above, is located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Here, you can take a unique walk into an easily accessible, well lit tube of hardened lava. Lava tubes are like natural pipelines through which lava travels beneath the surface after being expelled by a volcanic eruption.

Photographer: Rick Stankiewicz

mothernaturenetwork:

Many of the most awe-inspiring caves formed along the shores of oceans and lakes. Also known as littoral caves, these geological wonders are carved into rocky coastal cliffs through long-term wave action along weakened fault lines in cliffs.
9 wondrous water caves

BASALT!

Crystal Cave - Svínafellsjökull in Skaftafell, Iceland (orvaratli)

The centuries old ice coming down the slopes of Öræfajökull via Svínafellsjökull glacier has had almost all of the air pressed out of the ice. Once air has been pressed out the ice turns into this magically blue crystal like ice. The outer surface of this ice (the surface of the glacier) gets bombarded by weather, sun-rays, dust and other things and it transforms the crystal blue ice white. Hidden under the white surface is the blue ice.

This blue ice can be seen however under certain circumstances. It can be seen in winter after long periods of rain when the surface layer of the glacier has been washed away. It can be seen in ice-caves like this one (unsafe in summer) and on floating icebergs that have recently rolled over.

This ice cave is on the edge of the glacier where it enters into a lagoon. It is only possible to access it when the lagoon is frozen. Ice caves are in general unstable things and can collapse at any time. They are however much more stable in winter when the cold temperatures harden the ice. Even so we could hear constant cracking sounds inside the cave. It was not because it was going to collapse but because the cave was moving along with the glacier itself. Each time the glacier moved a millimeter loud sounds could be heard.