- In the past several decades there have been reports that
over a dozen ancient crystal skulls of various sizes were discovered in
unidentified caves in the Himalayan region of China. Unfortunately, there
is no documented archeological find and thus no provenance can be established.
Several of these skulls, both small and large, were brought to the US about
ten years ago and the author obtained one of the smaller ones.
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- There has been much controversy surrounding these skulls
including claims of mystical phenomena and healing powers attributed to
them. The Journal of Archaeological Science in 2008 published
an article entitled "The origins of two purportedly pre-Columbian
Mexican crystal skulls" by Sax, Walsh, et.al (35:2751-2760) in which
two well known crystal skulls, one located in the British Museum and the
other in the Smithsonian Institution, were examined using a scanning electron
microscope (SEM).
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- Manufacturing techniques were studied to identify the
tools that were used to carve it. The conclusion, which was based on the
tool marks found and the identification of a modern synthetic abrasive
(carborundum - SiC), was that both skulls were not pre-Columbian but were
carved with rotary wheels and produced in Europe during the nineteenth
century. Because of the size of these skulls, they could not be examined
directly under the SEM and thus detailed impressions were made of features
of interest. These impressions or moulds were then studied under the SEM.
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- The present study is the first time in which an alleged
ancient crystal skull was observed directly under the SEM. The entire
skull could be looked at and scanned and when areas of interest identified,
more detailed enlargements could be made. Areas of interest that were identified
were the eyes, nose, mouth, teeth and thus studied in greater detail.
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- The SEM used was a JEOL JSM-6490LV which is a variable
pressure scanning electron microscope. It produces a magnified images by
scanning a focused electron beam across the surface of a sample and observing
various signals produced when the electrons interact with the sample. In
addition, the Oxford 250 energy dispersive spectrometer system (EDS) is
attached to the SEM and allows for the examination of the chemical composition
of materials. This was the first time an EDS was used on an alleged ancient
crystal skull.
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- Essentially, the EDS data gives the elemental composition
of the specimen and thus we can identify coatings and other elements on
its surface. This study was conducted at the University of Minnesota-Duluth
Scanning Electron Microscope Lab located in the geology department. The
Director of the lab carried out the tests in collaboration with the author.
An initial inspection of the crystal skull was done using a stereoscopic
light microscope to identify interesting features which would be studied
in more detail with the SEM. Numerous scans were taken at areas of interest
and randomly across the skull and EDS data taken from various surface locations.
The data is currently being analyzed by both the Director of the SEM lab,
the author, and various other researchers. We hope to determine how the
crystal skull was carved and identify the chemical makeup of its surface.
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- No statements will be released until the study is completed.
Because of the historic nature of this research, it is important for us
to be confident of our conclusions before any announcements are made.
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- The author can be reached at drjohn@gizapyramid.com.
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- John DeSalvo, Ph.D., Director, Great Pyramid
of Giza Research Association
- www.gizapyramid.com
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