A stalactice hanging above subterranean water. Notice the water reflection.
A stalactite (Greekstalaktos, "dripping") or dripstone is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling or wall of a limestonecave. It is formed from the deposit of calcium carbonate and the dripping of mineralized solutions. The corresponding formation on the floor underneath a stalactite is known as a stalagmite. Should both these formations grow together, meeting in the middle, the resultant formation is known as a column or pillar. Note that icicles are not stalactites, since they are made of water.
There are mnemonics to remember which formation hangs from the ceiling (stalactite) and which grows upward from the floor (stalagmite):
StalaCtite has a "c" for "ceiling".
StalaGmite has a "g" for "ground".
Stalactites hang "tite" to the ceiling above
Stalagmites you "mite" trip over if you don't watch where you're stepping
Stalagmites and stalactites are often found in pairs, the stalagmite being formed as a result of further evaporation and precipitation from solution after the trickle of water falls from the stalactite.
Since stalactites, stalagmites, and curtains of dripstone form only in the presence of air, their existence in a cave indicates that the cave was above the water table while the dripstone was forming.
Stalagmites, stalactites and a reflecting pool in Onondaga Cave in Leasburg, Missouri.
A stalactite (Greek stalaktos, (Σταλακτίτης), "dripping" or "dropped"), or dripstone, is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling or wall of limestonecaves.
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