The 'curtain' formation in the image forms where feedwater trickles down a sloping surface. Stalactites and Stalagmites are speleothems, which occur i
The 'curtain' formation in the image forms where feedwater trickles down a sloping surface. Stalactites and Stalagmites are speleothems, which occur in limestone caves. They form through deposition of calcium carbonate and other minerals, which is precipitated from mineralized water solutions. Limestone is the chief form of calcium carbonate rock which is dissolved by water that contains carbon dioxide, forming a calcium bicarbonate solution in underground caverns. The ripples, or crenulations, on stalactites can be explained by a theory that includes the dripping water's fluid dynamics, and could help researchers reconstruct ancient precipitation records. Vadose speleotherm shapes are created by gravity, or by growth and capillary forces. Principal gravity types are dripstones (Stalagtites and stalagmites), and flowstone sheets on floors and walls. This specimen is in Greece.
Size: 5812px × 6013px
Photo credit: © DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: calcium, capillary, carbonate, cave, caverns, caves, crenulations, curtain, deposition, drip, dripping, dripstone, dynamics, flowstone, fluid, gravity, groundwater, growth, limestone, mineral, mineralised, precipitation, ripples, rock, speleotherm, stalagmite, stalagtites, underground, vadose, water
