Soarin III is a relatively small planet, not getting much light from the sun. The planet is covered almost completely under a thick layer of ice, with only a couple of volcanoes sticking out of the icy canopy. Other than ice or volcanoes, there seems to be a system of caves under the surface that appears to be connected through a maze of tunnels. Exploration of these caverns is extremely hazardous due to volcanic eruptions, with lava streaming into the caves or ice water cascading down the tunnel complexes.
Space exploration projects have lost several devices sent into the caverns, probably due to sudden climate changes. Regarding the frequency of eruptions and the cooling effect of the ice on the lava streams, there is considered to be a very high probability of vast amounts of different types of crystals being located in the caves.