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Sails: a new gypsum speleothem from Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico

2007; Società Speleologica Italiana; Volume: 36; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5038/1827-806x.36.1.2

1827-806X

Tullio Bernabei, Paolo Forti, Roberto Villasuso,

Geology and Paleoclimatology Research

The caves of Naica (Chihuahua, Mexico) are perhaps the most famous mine caves of the world due to the presence of gigantic gypsum crystals. Nevertheless, very little research has been carried out on this karst area until now. A multidisciplinary investigation started in 2006 with the aim not only to define the genesis and the age of the Naica gypsum crystals, but also on other scientific aspects of these caves. This paper describes a completely new type of gypsum speleothem: the "sails", observed only inside the Cueva de las Velas, one of the caves of the Naica system. This speleothem consists of extremely thin, elongated skeleton crystals that have grown epitaxially only on the tips of the gypsum crystals pointing upward. The genesis of sails is strictly related to the environmental conditions set up inside the cave just after the artificial lowering of the groundwater by mine dewatering (less than 20 yr ago). In a few years sail speleothems will disappear entirely and therefore this study is fundamental to preserve at least the memory of them.