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All Spain Geoda de Pulpí (Pulpí Geode)
AO Edited

Geoda de Pulpí (Pulpí Geode)

Peek into a cave of giant, glimmering crystals.

Pulpí, Spain

Added By
Inka Piegsa-Quischotte
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Pulpí Geode   Courtesy Geoda de Pulpí
Pulpí Geode   Courtesy Geoda de Pulpí
Pulpí Geode   Courtesy Geoda de Pulpí
Pulpí Geode   Courtesy Geoda de Pulpí
Spiral staircase leading into the cave.   Courtesy Geoda de Pulpí
The mountain above the geode.   Ismael Olea/CC BY-SA 4.0
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About

Crawl down an abandoned mine shaft in the south of Spain and then descending farther still via a narrow staircase and you’ll find yourself in a magical world: a cavern filled with human-sized, sparkling crystals. This is the Pulpí geode, the second-largest known geode in the world.

The Pulpí geode sits 164 feet below Mina Rica, a silver mine on the coast of Almería that was abandoned in the 1960s. The natural wonder lying below the mine was discovered by geologists in 1999, and it took another 20 years before it was opened to the public.

Visitors who make the descent are greeted by walls covered with crystals, some close to seven feet long and so clear you can almost see through them. The geode formed from minerals in the cave, including gypsum and celestine. The process has been a very long one—at least 60,000 years—and it is still not fully understood by experts. Geologists also expect to find even more geodes as they dig deeper into the mine and surrounding areas

Related Tags

Geology Crystals Caves Minerals Subterranean Sites Mines

Know Before You Go

To visit the mine and the geode, purchase tickets in advance via the official website. You are required to wear a helmet (provided) and join a guided tour.

Community Contributors

Added By

Inka PiegsaQuischotte

Edited By

Osage, April White, Michelle Cassidy, rothsimong f2b4f798...

  • Osage
  • April White
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • rothsimong f2b4f798
  • agnesvermaas

Published

September 13, 2021

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Geoda de Pulpí (Pulpí Geode)
Calle Sierra de los Filabres
Pulpí, 04648
Spain
37.381481, -1.702174
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