The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography. The process of crystals forming is called, Crystallisation, which involves molecules fitting together in a specific pattern. The pattern of the molecules have no limitations, meaning crystals can take a wide variety of shapes.
Crystals and gemstones are used for a variety of things such as healing, jewellery and nature landmarks. A famous landmark is the Cave of Crystals in Naica, Mexico, which contains some of the worlds largest crystals. The crystals in Nacia were found to be up to 12m long and 1m wide.
As Star Wars is fictional, I tried not to get to ground down with the technicalities of real crystals, but tried to focus more on their shapes and colour as a visual reference.
Crystal forms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_crystal_system https://www.gemstone7.com/562-hexagonal-quartz.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoclinic_crystal_system https://www.britannica.com/science/orthorhombic-system
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragonal_crystal_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclinic_crystal_system
10 Underground Caves in the World
LINK https://www.touropia.com/famous-underground-caves-in-the-world/
Cueva de los Cristales, Naica, Mexico
– Cueva de los Cristales, translated as Cave of Crystals
– Buried 300 metres below the Naica mountains in Mexico
– The caves were discovered by two miners in 2002
– Grew so much because they were submerged in mineral-rich water with a stable temperature range (58 degrees Celsius)
– Contains some of the world’s largest amounts of silver, zinc, and lead
– In 1910 miners discovered the upper section of the caves called the Cave of Swords, which are smaller but shaped like daggers
– The cave is a horseshoe-shaped cavity in limestone rock about 10 meters wide and 30 meters long. Its floor is covered in crystalline and huge crystal beams jut out from both the blocks and the floor
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2007/04/giant-crystal-cave-mexico-mystery-solved/
Bermuda’s Crystal Caves
– Thought to be millions of years old, formed during the Ice Age and discovered in the early 1900s
– Caves formed during the leistocene Ice Age (1.6 million years ago) where most of the Earth’s oceans froze, sea levels dropped and rainwater seeped into Bermuda’s limestone
– 1907 and two teenagers, Carl Gibbons and Edgar Hollis discover a small hole emitting warm air, they dug down and found the caves
– The caves inspired Fraggle Rock‘s co-creator, Bermudian artist Michael Frith, who imagined an underworld filled with strange and delightful creatures
https://www.gotobermuda.com/article/the-natural-wonder-bermudas-crystal-caves
Reed Flute Cave(Ludi Yan), Guilin, China
– 240 meters deep and 500 meters long
– Forming since 180 million years ago
– Underground lake flows along the cave
– Outside the entrance of the cave reeds grow, which can be used to make flutes, and that is how the cave was named
– Believed that the cave was untouched for a thousand years, the was rediscovered in 1940’s by a group of refugees, fleeting Japanese Troops
– Stalactites formed by the consistent dripping water from the top of the cave through cracks and crystallizes over millions of years
– These also grow from the bottom to the top to form a stone pillar
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/guangxi/guilin/reed-flute-cave.html
Visual References – Real Crystal Caves
Visual Comparison – Star Wars Crait Crystal Caves
https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/89zaju/crait_crystal_cave/
https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsCantina/comments/aumgt4/the_falcon_on_crait/
https://www.artstation.com/pontusp
https://alpha-step.artstation.com/projects/0XrLZ5
Other sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/guide-to-healing-crystals#Different-types-of-healing-crystals
https://cen.acs.org/physical-chemistry/geochemistry/Naicas-crystal-cave-captivates-chemists/97/i6
https://mooncatcrystals.com/blogs/news/about-quartz
https://www.britannica.com/video/187044/facts-crystals
http://www.geologyin.com/2018/03/crystal-formations-and-their-meanings.html
http://www.geologyin.com/2016/10/5-surprising-things-to-know-about.html
https://slideplayer.com/slide/5933049/
https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/news/g4266/iceland-crystal-ice-caves/
https://www.newzealand.com/uk/waitomo-caves/
http://www.geologypage.com/2016/06/cave-of-crystals-giant-crystal-cave.html
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Gemstones