Naica Selenite

© Soul Body Gems

Selenite from Naica, Mexico, with fluid inclusions in our June 2024 collection.

Gypsum from a remarkable locality

Selenite is the clear crystalline variety of gypsum, a hydrated calcium sulfate. Naica in Chihuahua, Mexico, is famous for caves containing exceptionally large gypsum crystals. Research on those crystals describes growth from warm, low-salinity water under unusually steady conditions.

Water preserved inside

Fluid inclusions are small pockets of fluid enclosed within a mineral. Our collection labels these specimens Naica Selenite with Enhydros. Researchers have studied fluid inclusions in Naica gypsum to reconstruct its growth conditions. Those studies provide geological context; a still photograph does not show whether an individual bubble moves.

Reference: García-Ruiz and colleagues, Formation of natural gypsum megacrystals in Naica, Mexico, 2007.

Reference: Climatic control on the growth of gigantic gypsum crystals within hypogenic caves, Naica.