A wondrous underground river of crystals resembling a trail of snow was recently discovered in New Mexico, but don't think for a second you'll be able to see it for yourself. A seemingly endless cave in the region is to be closed off to the public and studied for scientific research. So far the cave is an estimated 4 miles long, with plenty more to discover.
Scientists have already found some three dozen species of microbes in the Fort Stanton Cave and have dubbed the majestical looking floor of it "Snowy River." The minerals making up the river of crystals are believed to be created by microorganisms that live in the water that mysteriously flows through the cave from time to time. Last summer scientists were surprised to see running water, which had not been the case when it was first discovered in 2001. So far no scientists can figure out how water permeates it, or where it ultimately ends up.
Penny Boston, a New Mexico Tech professor told the following to the Associated Press:
"The idea is that we're practicing to go to Mars, we're practicing to go to Europa (a moon of Jupiter) and all of these other places," she said. "It's very difficult to even prove some of the things we've studied here on this planet are alive. Imagine how much harder that is when you translate that to a robotic mission millions of miles from Earth."
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