Water droplet coming out of the central canal of a stalactite

A stalactite (Greek stalaktites, (Σταλακτίτης), from the word for "drip" and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem(secondary mineral) that hangs from the ceiling or wall of limestone caves. It is sometimes referred to as dripstone. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1360, 1344 KB) Summary Taken by Wing-Chi Poon on 5th November 2005 on East Trail, Lost Maples State Natural Area, Texas, USA. This photo shows a stalactite overgrown with mosses around its tip, with a water droplet just coming out... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1360, 1344 KB) Summary Taken by Wing-Chi Poon on 5th November 2005 on East Trail, Lost Maples State Natural Area, Texas, USA. This photo shows a stalactite overgrown with mosses around its tip, with a water droplet just coming out... A speleothem (from the Greek for cave deposit) is a formal term for what is also known as a cave formation, or amongst cavers, collectively known as pretties. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. ...

Stalactites from a cave in Yucatán.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (768x1024, 104 KB) Summary Stalactites at the Lol-Tun cave in Yucatán. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (768x1024, 104 KB) Summary Stalactites at the Lol-Tun cave in Yucatán. ... Yucatán is the name of one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. ...

Formation

Stalactites are formed by the deposition of calcium carbonate and other minerals, which is precipitated from mineralized water solutions. The corresponding formation on the floor underneath a stalactite is known as a stalagmite. Given enough time, these formations can meet, resulting in a formation known as a column. Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. ... Dissolving table salt (NaCl) in water This article is about a chemical solution; for other uses of the term solution, see solution (disambiguation). ... The Witchs Finger in the Carlsbad Caverns A stalagmite (from the Greek stalagma (Σταλαγμίτης), drop or drip) is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. ...

Every stalactite begins with a single mineral-laden drop of water. When the drop falls, it leaves behind the thinnest ring of calcite. Each subsequent drop that forms and falls deposits another calcite ring. Eventually, these rings form a very narrow (0.5 mm), hollow tube commonly known as a "soda straw" stalactite. Soda straws can grow quite long, but are very fragile. If they become plugged by debris, water begins flowing over the outside, depositing more calcite and creating the more familiar cone-shaped stalactite. A soda straw is a speleothem in the form of a hollow mineral tube. ...

Mineralized water drop forming at bottom of stalactites.

Experiment modeling drip stone formation in the lab.

The same water drops that fall from the tip of a stalactite deposit more calcite on the floor below, eventually resulting in a rounded or cone-shaped stalagmite. Unlike stalactites, stalagmites never start out as hollow "soda straws." Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 269 KB) Summary Drops forming on stalactites, illustrating the process on which stalactites are formed. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 269 KB) Summary Drops forming on stalactites, illustrating the process on which stalactites are formed. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

While it has been claimed that the longest stalactite known hangs in the Chamber of Rarities in the Gruta Rei do Mato (Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil) and is 20 metres long, vertical cavers have often encountered longer stalactites while exploring. Gruta Rei do Mato means Cave of the Forest King in Portuguese. ... Sete Lagoas (meaning Seven Lakes in Portuguese) is a town in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. ... Flag of Minas Gerais See other Brazilian States Capital Belo Horizonte Largest City Belo Horizonte Area 586,528. ... sport of exploring caves. ...

Stalactites can also form on concrete ceilings, and on plumbing where there is a slow leak and limestone (or other minerals) is in the water supply, although they form much more rapidly there than in the natural cave environment (description and experiments see literature). Stalactites can also form in lava tubes, although the mechanism of formation is much different. Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow. ...

References

• Dripstone in time-lapse ("Tropfsteine im Zeitraffer") - Schmidkonz, B.; Wittke, G.; Chemie Unserer Zeit, 2006, 40, 246. DOI:10.1002/ciuz.200600370

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• The Virtual Cave's page on stalactites

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Speleothem