‘Frozen clouds’ is not something that can only be found in Sci-Fi films like Interstellar –Oops! Spoiler alert– as the above image shows.
The photograph was taken by a drone on a newly-discovered chamber inside the Bustamante caves in the state of Coahuila (Mexico), which despite being a popular tourist attraction have only been explored in about 10% of their total depth. Obviously the ‘clouds’ are not really frozen, but are in fact globular calcite formations created by the thermal waters in the area over a period of 50 million years.
The discovery was made by the Asociación Coahuilense de Espeleología, a local speleology group, and it marks the first time that a robotic probe is used to explore caverns which are inaccessible to human beings. According to the group’s president, Ana Gabriela Morales, the team also found a ‘floating lake’ above what they know call ‘the Cloud Chamber’, which is thought to be a subterranean river.
The speleological group plans to hand the results of their investigation to the state’s authorities once it’s concluded. Who knows, perhaps the little robot might stumble upon a secret dwelling of Duendes…
- Source: “Descubren nubes de roca”, Reforma newspaper (19/12/14)
