Speleothems

caves · rocks · time · geology

Water does the work. Speleothems form when rainwater seeps through soil and rock, picking up minerals like calcite. This mineral-rich water drips or flows into caves and leaves behind tiny deposits that pile up over thousands of years.

Different shapes, same recipe. Depending on how the water moves and deposits minerals, speleothems create stalactites hanging from ceilings, stalagmites growing from floors, and smooth flowstones cascading down walls like frozen waterfalls.

Incredibly slow growing. Most speleothems grow only a few centimeters every century, so even small formations might be thousands of years old. Some of the biggest ones have been growing for over a million years.

Colors tell stories. The minerals in water give speleothems different colors like white, orange, red, and brown, depending on what rocks the water passed through before entering the cave.