Underground Splendor

Every so often, I run into something like this that completely stuns me in such a good way.

Let me give you the short version rather than making you read the article. In 2000, workers in a Mexican lead mine discovered something amazing - a rocky, 130-foot womb in which incredibly large selenium crystals have gestated for millions of years. The longest of the crystals is about 30 feet long. Think of the original Superman movie, when Superman's castle grew out of the arctic. That gives you an idea.

These photos fill me with wonder and optimism. Wonder, that natural forces we can't mimic produced something so otherworldly and magnificent. Optimism, that in every hot, lifeless, suffocating chunk of rock, something extraordinary may just be awaiting discovery.

It makes me ask what else might be out there, buried beneath our sewer lines and power conduits and open-pit mines. There must be so much out there that would, if we knew about it, transport our imaginations and make us marvel and the earth's powers of creations.

Wait a second - Earth? What about when our species establishes its presence on the moon and Mars? And even beyond that. It's impossible to think that there are not forces at work creating natural works of art on a scope that dwarves this Cave of Crystals.

If you can, pick up this copy of National Geographic. The graphics and layout are stunning, and the photos ... well, the first one made me shout "Oh, my god" and then completely fall silent wondering if it wasn't an early April Fools Day prank (though there were far too few photos, but I know there's only so much space). The text? Meh. Not up to the usual standards - amazing, considering what a powerful and moving experience it must be to walk among these giants.