the.com/stalactite
a stone icicle dripping toward immortality, one calcium molecule per geologic shrug.
means A tapered mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave, built up slowly as dripping water leaves behind tiny deposits of calcium carbonate.
from From Greek 'stalaktos,' meaning 'dripping' or 'oozing out drop by drop,' from the verb 'stalassein,' to drip. Its floor-bound sibling, the stalagmite, comes from the related 'stalagma,' a dropping. The handy mnemonic — stalaCtites cling to the Ceiling, stalaGmites grow from the Ground — is a happy accident of spelling rather than ancient design.
- growth rate
- about one inch every hundred years
- hangs tight
- clings to the ceiling, unlike its floor twin
- made of
- recycled rainwater and dissolved limestone
- hollow start
- begins as a fragile drinking-straw tube
- can ring
- some chime like organ pipes when struck
son doong cave stalactites — vietnam's largest cave contains 200m+ tall stalactites, some of the world's largest
carlsbad caverns stalactites — new mexico cave system with famous chandelier-like formations, 750,000+ annual visitors
waitomo caves stalactites — new zealand's glowworm caves feature delicate stalactites alongside bioluminescent glowworms