History Main / CrystalLandscape

This is the area comprised mostly -- if not entirely -- out of crystals and gemstone minerals. They may be protruding from the ground and could have been placed there by people or formed naturally. Such landscapes usually [[PowerCrystal possess magical properties]] in one form or another, whether created through the AppliedPhlebotinum of advanced societies or through the innate magical energy of a landscape.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Crystals Cave of the Crystals]] in Mexico is filled with gypsum crystal formations larger than a person -- the largest is twelve meters long and four thick.

Given that many types of gemstones can be found in caves, this trope often overlaps with UndergroundLevel and BeneathTheEarth, as well as areas connected to earth-based ElementalPowers. This sort of landscape is also likely to be found in alien settings, whether extraterrestrial or extradimensional, as a way to emphasize their exotic and unusual natures. Occasionally, this may also be used as a sparklier version of TheCorruption, especially when the crystals are given the ability to spread, and portrayed as a sign of some alien or malignant force spreading over the mundane world.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'': The Moon Kingdom in ''Door to Phantomile'' sits on (or perhaps ''is'') a giant floating castle, with many parts of the castle made from crystal as well.

** The desolate Radioactive Exclusion Zone is mostly grey and scoured of life, but dotted with glowing green cystals and inert green-black ones. These crystals are labeled as "uranium" (actually a greyish metal in real life), and the glowing ones are a hazard to dwarves. There are also sometimes [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale scanner-scrambling]] crystalline helixes to be found.

* ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'': The Crystal Caves is a large cavern filled with orange crystals, as well as [[CrystallineCreature living crystal enemies]]. [[spoiler:An alternate version of the area can be accessed, called the Cursed Crystal Caves, which is host to ''[[PurpleIsPowerful purple]]'' crystals.]]

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvelVol4'': In Issue #38, the first videogame-like area that Kamala is transported to is a pink landscape dotted with giant blue crystals.

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvelVol4'': In Issue #38 of the second run, the first videogame-like area that Kamala is transported to is a pink landscape dotted with giant blue crystals.

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': In Issue #38 of the second run, the first videogame-like area that Kamala is transported to is a pink landscape dotted with giant blue crystals.

* In Episode 136 of ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'', Mametchi and co. go to the caves under the Gotchi King's castle to find a special crown that will cure a sickness he has. The caves display an impressive amount of giant crystals of various colors, befitting of the fact that the crown the Tama-Friends are after is made of crystal as well.

* The ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' setting of Ikoria has crystals absolutely everywhere. They glow in response to the mutant {{Kaiju}} and other monsters that call the plane home, so they make for a good early warning system for the human settlements. [[SuperSpeed Well, most of the time, anyway.]]

* ''ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior'' is set on the planet Crystalium, [[WorthlessYellowRocks where crystals that would be priceless on Earth are as common as rocks]], and are indeed used as rocks for building. Conversely, when the heroes briefly visit Comicbook/DoctorStrange's Sanctum Sanctorum, they can't believe the incalculable wealth on display there: wooden furniture and shelf after shelf of paper books.

* In ''Fanfic/TheMeaningOfHarmony'' the landscape directly around the Forges often look like this. In Sunset's nightmares, the entire world ends up becoming one of these.

* The second-to-last of the bowling lanes in ''Polar Bowler'' is Aurora Alley, which is surrounded by colorful crystals jutting out of the snowy landscape. The nearer crystals have a shimmering texture and are just as brightly colored as the aurora for which the place is named.

* Tucma from ''VideoGame/{{Temtem}}'' is dotted with giant crystals and crystalized trees. Because of this, its economy revolves around mining.

*** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation Inspiration Manifestation]]", when Rarity goes mad with power after learning a powerful spell that lets her [[RealityWarper reshape reality around her]], her quest to make everything beautiful does a fair job of turning Ponyville into a partial example of this. By the end of the episode, multiple buildings and trees have been transformed into colorful crystal replicas of themselves, while the town's roads have all been turned into gold.
*** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E21Hearthbreakers Hearthbreakers]]", the Pie family's mine is filled with large amounts of free-standing crystals. This is downplayed in the external quarry, which only has a few moderately-sized crystals poking out here and there, but the mine tunnels themselves are completely filled with immense, wall-covering formations of translucent pink-purple crystals.

* ''Franchise/Ben10'': Petropia, homeworld of the [[CrystallineCreature Petrosapiens]] is an entire planet of crystals. Except to call it a planet isn't entirely accurate, as it's not round at all. It looks more like a giant crystal made up of smaller crystals.

* In ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'', the buildings on the alien world of Crystalia are made mostly of marble or other stone, but the crystals are the primary focus of not just the architecture but also the planet's biology.

* Marvel's ''ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior'' is set on the planet Crystalium, where crystals that would be priceless on Earth are as common as rocks, and are indeed used as rocks for building. Conversely, when the heroes briefly visit Comicbook/DoctorStrange's Sanctum Sanctorum, they can't believe the incalculable wealth on display there: wooden furniture and shelf after shelf of paper books.

*** The Midnight Mountains are is a downplayed example in the original game, having a few crystals growing here and there. The ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy' emphasizes this greatly, and redesigns the area to be liberally covered in peaks and ridges of rough, uncut bluish crystal.

If made with evil intentions, it could be made as a form of CrystalPrison. Expect entities native to the area to use GemstoneAssault.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroANewBeginning'': The sections connecting the palaces in Concurrent Skies consist of winding paths through a landscape of gigantic indigo crystals, in some places guarded by animated constructs of crystalline stone.

* The Lapis Core room in ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'' has large formations of elemental crystals scattered around the area.

** ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'': The Crystal Islands were once a regular, non-crystal-based world. Unfortunately, the Magicians from there ended up [[PhlebotinumOverdose turning the inhabitants and the landscape into crystal with some of the Sorceress's magic that they stole]].
* ''[[VideoGame/StarControl Star Control: Origins]]'' has crystal planets. They tend to be quite dangerous but loaded with valuable resources.
* [[{{VideoGame/Subnautica}} Subnautica: Below Zero]] has the Crystal Cave and [[spoiler:Fabricator Cave]], located in the deepest trenches of the ocean, and are both beautiful and full of deadly sea monsters.
* The landscape of the [[LevelAte Luncheon Kingdom]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' is covered in giant replicas of food items made of crystal.

* In episode 136 of ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'', Mametchi and co. go to the caves under the Gotchi King's castle to find a special crown that will cure a sickness he has. The caves display an impressive amount of giant crystals of various colors, befitting of the fact that the crown the Tama-Friends are after is made of crystal as well.

* Marvel's ''ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior'' is set on the planet Crystalium, where crystals that would be priceless on Earth are as common as rocks, and are indeed used as rocks for building. Conversely, when the heroes briefly visit Comicbook/DoctorStrange's Sanctum Sanctorum, they can't believe the incalculable wealth on display there: wooden furniture and shelf after shelf of paper books.

* In ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'', the buildings on the alien world of Crystalia are made mostly of marble or other stone, but the crystals are the primary focus of not just the architecture but also the planet's biology.

* ''VideoGame/AVeryLongRopeToTheTopOfTheSky'': The Saecelium Mine's walls are covered in blue crystal formations.

* Marvel's ''[[ComicBook/CrystarCrystalWarrior Crystar, Crystal Warrior]]'' is set on the planet Crystalium, where crystals that would be priceless on Earth are as common as rocks, and are indeed used as rocks for building. Conversely, when the heroes briefly visit Comicbook/DoctorStrange's Sanctum Sanctorum, they can't believe the incalculable wealth on display there: wooden furniture and shelf after shelf of paper books.

* ''Literature/LandOfOz'': Present to varying degrees. Some depictions (such as in [[Film/TheWizardOfOz the movie]]) of the Emerald City portray nearly everything there as being made of crystal. The books are [[ContinuitySnarl inconsistent]] about many architectural details but the city is full of large crystals in ''Literature/TheMarvelousLandOfOz''. The [[OurGnomesAreWeirder Nome]] [[UndergroundCity Kingdom]] has areas covered in crystals as well.

* Somewhat downplayed in ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'' with the alien world of Crsytalia; buildings are ''made'' mostly of marble or other stone, but the crystals are the primary focus of not just the architecture but also the planet's ''biology!''

* ''VideoGame/DeepRockGalactic'', being a game about space dwarf mining operations on a DeathWorld, has a few of these. All biomes will have small crystal outcroppings the dwarves can mine, but a few are dominated by crystals:

* ''VideoGame/HyperLightDrifter'': In the forests of the West Zone. Vast amounts of pale green crystals litter the ground. Large crystals can be broken to refuel weapon energy, but the small shards on the ground [[CrystalPrison are very]] [[SmashingSurvival dangerous]].

* ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'': The Lapis Core room, which has large formations of elemental crystals scattered around the area.
* In ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures'', the first part of Stage 3 mixes this with LethalLavaLand. There is [[TideLevel a rising and falling pool of lava]] that [[OneHitKill instantly kills Sparkster]] if he falls in it. However, crystal formations [[ObstructiveForeground block Sparkster's view of certain platforms]]. Sparkster needs to see his reflection in the lava so he can cross the platforms safely.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' loves this trope. Numerous rooms in the temple are decorated with crystal outcroppings and many of the locations the protagonists visit early in the series are full of sparkly crystal ornaments.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': While travelling underground in "[[Recap/TotalDramaThisIsThePits This Is the Pits!]]", the Wâneyihtam Maskwak enter the Gem Cave. This area is chock-full of red gems that are both identified as rubies and as diamonds. The Gem Cave is the domain of Bling Bear, who knows if someone takes a gem and does not respond kindly to it. This would've been an easy danger to avoid for the team were it not for Shawn's attraction to shiny gems. Bling Bear does not give up the chase until the team jumps into the outhouse's waste.