Pulpí Geode
The geode has a funnel shape, with the narrowest part being L-shaped. It is notable on a worldwide scale for both its size and the transparency and perfection of the selenite (gypsum) crystals lining the interior, which reach up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length, with 50 centimetres (20 in) being the average. The abandoned silver-lead mine is now a geoheritage site attracting geotourists. The geode was damaged by vandals at the end of 2021, but the damage was not as severe as first thought.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Geode_of_Pulp%C3%AD_schematic_formation.png/220px-Geode_of_Pulp%C3%AD_schematic_formation.png)
The latest scientific research, on the origin of the geode, was published on 23 March 2022; the research was led by Fernando Gázquez of the University of Almeria, with the conclusion that the gypsum crystals were formed between 164 ± 15 thousand and 60 thousand years ago, in the upper Pleistocene, from a freshwater aquifer (with very little evidence of brackish or sea water, as suggested previously).