So, the month since the last blog post has largely been filled (for me) with planning and preparing and then going on a trip to Naica, Mexico. The big draw of this area is the Penoles copper, lead, and zinc mine which happens to also be home to the Crystal Cave, popularized by a National Geographic documentary a few years ago. The extreme heat of the cavern (>45oC) from nearby volcanic magma intrusion combined with supersaturated mineral waters resulted in the formation of gigantic gypsum, or selenite, crystals in a cave about 1000ft underground. I mean big crystals, 10ft long, 2ft wide. When the cave was blasted into and then drained by miners, it became one of hottest and most spectacular places on Earth.
I went with our lab manager to find viruses in this environment - hot, humid, but water filled. And we did! I have to be honest - I found the entire experience of being part of film production and meeting new people much more satisfying than the research. It was just amazing, and I'll try to write more later in addition to catching up on Thanksgiving and fall news.
Wow, Danielle. Those pictures are really amazing. Lamar wants to know where exactly Naica is.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, we still sing yours and Jason's praises often as we cook dinner on our awesome pans!!