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Sometimes, through cracks in the
stone, the water droplets and calcite crystals
enter large, old caves where they make cave
decorations – dripstones.
“It’s dark in here! I am
not going any further!” says the little crystal and
clings to the stone wall. “Me neither! Me
neither! ….” Other crystals also hold on tightly
and together they make stalactites – dripstones that
hang from the cave ceilings.
“We’ll be
dripping through winters, autumns, springs;
we’ll be dripping tirelessly through the
centuries.”
(from the poem “Let’s Become
Dripstones” by Vjekoslav Majer)
The crystals that can’t hold onto
the ceiling fall on the ground together with droplets of
water. The droplets continue on, and the crystals
build towers.
“I’m falling!” Drip!
Drip! “I’m staying here! I’ve had enough
excitement!” says the calcite crystal and keeps lying on
the ground holding on to other crystals.
The towers grow from the ground towards the
ceiling. Such cave formations are called
stalagmites.
Did you know?
Stalagmites that grow fast can only reach 1 meter in
height in 100 years. But if the water drips slowly
such growth can take as long as 10000 years.
Stalactites and stalagmites can join together into
columns up to 10 meters high. How long does it
take for such a column to grow?
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