Category Caves

ARE STALACTITES AND STALAGMITES ALWAYS FOUND IN PAIRS?

No, stalactites and stalagmites can occur singly. However, it is true that stalagmites are usually formed on the ground from the same drip source that creates a stalactite on the ceiling of the cave. The simplest stalactite takes the form of a thin straw. As more and more of the mineral calcite is deposited, the downward growth takes the form of a cone. The calcite drip that reaches the ground forms a stalagmite, a bit like a spike with a rounded tip. It is possible that, over time, the stalagmite and stalactite may meet to form a column that extends from floor to ceiling.

Stalagmites have thicker proportions and grow up on the bottom of a cavern from the same drip-water source, the mineral from which is deposited after the water droplet falls across the open space in the rock. Not every stalactite has a complementary stalagmite, and many of the latter may have no stalactite above them. Where the paired relation exists, however, continual elongation of one or both may eventually result in a junction and the formation of a column.

Credit: Britannica

Picture Credit : Google 

CAN STALACTITES APPEAR UNDERWATER?

Yes, stalactites, also called ‘hanging speleothems’, have been found underwater, for example the Hells Bells in Mexico. They are hollow structures that expand conically downwards. In addition to the carbonate that builds stalactites and stalagmites, bacteria and algae help in the formation of these underwater stalactites.

Hanging speleothems, also called stalactites, develop through physicochemical processes in which calcium carbonate-rich water dries up. Normally, they rejuvenate and form a tip at the lower end from which drops of water fall to the cave floor. The formations in the El Zapote cave, which are up to two metres long, expand conically downward and are hollow, with round, elliptical or horseshoe-shaped cross-sections. Not only are they unique in shape and size, but also their mode of growth, according to Prof. Stinnesbeck. They grow in a lightless environment near the base of a 30 m freshwater unit immediately above a zone of oxygen-depleted and sulfide-rich toxic saltwater.

Credit: phys.org

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS THE STUDY OF CAVES CALLED?

 

Speleology, scientific discipline that is concerned with all aspects of caves and cave systems. Exploration and description of caves and their features are the principal focus of speleology, but much work on the chemical solution of limestone, rates of formation of stalagmites and stalactites, the influence of groundwater and hydrologic conditions generally, and on modes of cave development has been accomplished within this discipline. Speleology requires, essentially, the application of geological and hydrological knowledge to problems associated with underground cavern systems. Amateur exploration of caves, as a hobby, is called spelunking.

Credit: Britannica

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT IS THE EXPLORATION OF CAVES CALLED?

Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment.

The challenges involved in caving vary according to the cave being visited; in addition to the total absence of light beyond the entrance, negotiating pitches, squeezes, and water hazards can be difficult. Cave diving is a distinct, and more hazardous, sub-speciality undertaken by a small minority of technically proficient cavers. In an area of overlap between recreational pursuit and scientific study, the most devoted and serious-minded cavers become accomplished at the surveying and mapping of caves and the formal publication of their efforts. These are usually published freely and publicly, especially in the UK and other European countries, although in the US, these are generally private.

Credit: Wikipedia

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT DO THE WORDS ‘STALACTITE’ AND ‘STALAGMITE’ MEAN?

Both ‘stalactite’ and ‘stalagmite’ originate from the Greek word stalassein meaning ‘to drip’. The first use of both words goes back to the 17th century. Both stalactites and stalagmites are also called dripstones as they form from minerals in dripping water.

Stalactites are the mineral formations that hang down like rock icicles, while stalagmites rise up from the floor. The word stalactite comes from the Greek word for “dripping,” stalaktos, which in turn comes from the verb stalassein, “to trickle,” which is how stalactites are formed. Water comes down through the top of the cave, bringing rock minerals with it that eventually form those pointy stalactites.

A stalagmite is the pointed formation that rises from the floor of a cave. When you go spelunking, or cave exploring, you’ll have to avoid the areas where stalagmites have formed.

Stalagmites are thin piles of mineral deposits that have fallen from the roof to the floor of a cave. They’re sometimes connected to the stalactites that dangle down from the top. Because stalagmites form from drops of water combined with minerals, they get their name from the Greek stalagmos, “a dropping,” and share a root with stalactite — the Greek stalassein, “to trickle.”

Credit: vocabulary.com

Picture Credit : Google 

HOW DO CAVES FORM?

The most widely seen caves are formed in limestone, dolomite or rock gypsum. When it rains, rainwater and carbon dioxide in the air combine to form a mildly acidic solution, which seeps into the ground, dissolving the calcite in these rocks to create cavities underground. The crashing of waves against cliffs along a coastline also carves out caves. Caves can form in volcanic lava as the outer layer cools and hardens while the lava underneath continves to flow and drains away, leaving a hollow. Earthquakes can also crack rocks and create caves.

Round Spring Cave is found in a kind of rock called dolomite. It is similar to limestone. Like limestone, dolomite is formed at the bottom of the sea. This part of Missouri was covered by the sea. Later on, forces from inside the earth pushed up the sea bottom to make the Ozarks. These forces, pushing up on the rock layers, cracked the dolomite, much like a baseball hitting a window cracks the glass. These cracks are called joints. This was the very start of Round Spring Cave, and it happened just as the dinosaurs started to roam the Earth.

As rainwater fell on the ground, it picked up a small amount of acid from the rotting leaves. This acid, called carbonic acid, is the same thing that gives soda pop its fizz. This acidic water can dissolve holes in dolomite. Below the water table, the rock was filled with this acidic water. Between the layers of rock and inside the joints, the water slowly dissolved away the rock. This made a large water-filled space. As the Current River cut its river valley, it cut down through the rock layers until it opened up the cave. This let the water out and gave us an air-filled cave.

Credit: National Park Service

Picture Credit : Google