How stalactites and stalagmites form in caves
Creation of caves by groundwater.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Two people making change for five dollars as a representation of how matter is conserved in a chemical reaction.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Even in our warming world, there will be some chilly evenings.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Each offspring is a combination of its two parents, receiving some dominant traits from its mother and others from its father.
-
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Kaido Rummel/Dreamstime.comOverview of the Waitomo caves, north-central North Island, New Zealand.
-
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Tt/Dreamstime.comLearn about experiments that use plants, notably reeds, to filter pollutants from groundwater.
-
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the marine life in the submerged caves under the Mediterranean Sea at Calanques National Park, France.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn how snowflakes, also called snow crystals, form.
News •
Cave divers search for rare ghost bats after flooding
• Oct. 22, 2026, 7:18 PM ET (ABC News (Australia))
Transcript
NARRATOR: Caves are the most striking evidence of the geologic work of groundwater. Over hundreds of years the dissolution of the limestone, or dolomite, by groundwater results in underground cavities.
These spectacular cave formations—stalactites, stalagmites, and columns—are formed by the deposition of the carbonate minerals dissolved in the surrounding limestone by groundwater.
Slowly, drop by drop, these strange and beautiful cave deposits grow. Stalactites, icicle-shaped deposits, hang from the ceilings of caves, while columns of stalagmites build up from the floors.
These spectacular cave formations—stalactites, stalagmites, and columns—are formed by the deposition of the carbonate minerals dissolved in the surrounding limestone by groundwater.
Slowly, drop by drop, these strange and beautiful cave deposits grow. Stalactites, icicle-shaped deposits, hang from the ceilings of caves, while columns of stalagmites build up from the floors.
Last Modification: