The tallest stalagmite. How do stalactites and stalagmites form? The world's most famous caves of stalactites and stalagmites
STALACTITES AND STALAGMITES.
In caves, stalactites are very common - “icicles” of different sizes hanging from the ceiling, and stalagmites - “icicles” growing from the floor of the cave.
Word " stalactite" translated from Greek means "drop by drop." The fact is that even the highest stone mountains on Earth are not a solid monolith - they have microcracks through which water seeps from the surface of the mountain into the caves. But water comes into the caves through the thickness very slowly - literally in rare drops. These droplets of water little by little wash away calcium from the rock - this is how stalactites are formed.
Dripping onto the floor of the cave, the water brings with it calcium crystals, which begin to form a “slide” - stalagmite. Stalagmites are usually thicker than stalactites, because when water falls, it splashes and the crystals scatter.
Both stalactites and stalagmites grow very slowly - hundreds and thousands of years. If the cave is not very high, then stalagmites and stalactites grow together over time.
On a polished section of a stalagmite, growth rings are clearly visible.
By the way, there is a very simple method on how to remember what is called a stalactite and what is a stalagmite - in the word "stalag" m it" is the letter M, as in the word "ze" m la". So a stalagmite is something that grows on the ground!
The longest free-hanging stalactite is considered to be a huge stone icicle in Gruga do Janelao, Brazil, 12 meters long, and the record holder among stalagmites has a height of 32 meters. It is located in the Krasnogorska cave near Roznava, Slovakia.
Here in Russia great amount caves where you can see this miracle of nature. If you have the opportunity to visit the caves on a tour, be sure to go - we guarantee an experience of a lifetime!
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From the surface of the earth, water seeps into the bowels of the earth. And where soluble rocks lie in them - limestone, chalk, gypsum - there gradually water and time create an underground miracle - a cave.
Caves are different. Huge ones, stretching underground for many kilometers, and small ones. Ice and no ice. With and without underground lakes and rivers that you can navigate by boat...
Caves are no joke. Under no circumstances should you go there without an experienced escort. It costs nothing to get lost and disappear forever.
And yet, the caves are often visited by researchers, tourists and simply curious people. Once in the cave hall, a person experiences surprise and admiration. Stone icicles - stalactites - hang from the majestic arches. Some of them are very small, others are large and very old. Gray, snow-white, white and pink, these stone icicles are a real decoration of the cave.
Water constantly flows down them. And various substances are dissolved in it. At the very end of the icicle there is a drop of water
delayed. The time that the droplet spends at the tip of the stalactite is enough for some of these substances to remain on its hard edge. So, very slowly, over many centuries, the stalactite grows.
The drop breaks off and falls down. And there, from the floor of the cave, a stalagmite, a stone tower, grows towards the stalactite. Many years will pass, they will meet and grow together, forming a column.
In the mysterious world of caves you can see absolutely amazing stalagmites. In one of the caves there is a stalagmite “Candlestick”. This snow-white stone marvel really looks a lot like a candlestick.
In addition to stalactites, stalagmites, columns, lush stone curtains, stone flowers and other amazing formations are found in the caves. All of them are creations of tireless water...
When you are in a cave and admiring it, it is especially unpleasant to suddenly discover a can of soda water, a candy wrapper, or something else like that. You can’t help but think with annoyance: oh, even here there have already been people who do not respect nature, who do not appreciate its mysterious, unique beauty.
Yes, there are different people in caves and not only those who value the stone beauty of the earth. Among them, unfortunately, there are those for whom it costs nothing to break off a stalactite and destroy a stalagmite. Or make some inscription on the wall of the cave. Or leave trash here.
Sometimes people even make a fire in a cave. This is harmful for the cave, because the temperature regime that has developed here for centuries is disrupted. For the unfortunate tourists themselves, this can end tragically: they can suffocate and die in the smoke.
Caves are “underground palaces”, created by nature over many millennia, and the underground wonder can be disturbed and spoiled in a matter of minutes.
Therefore, no one should ever break stalactites, stalagmites or other natural “decorations” in caves. You cannot make any inscriptions, light fires or throw garbage. We need to respect caves, these unique creations of nature, respect and protect them.
If you ever find yourself in a cave, try not to forget about it.
AND THE STONE IS WORTHY OF RESPECT
On a school excursion, the mischievous Lyosha began to bring down the edge of a small cliff with his foot. Layers of clay and sand were visible in this place. Local hills were once formed from them. The cliff had a small overhanging cornice. That’s what the boy tried to bring down.
He didn’t think that he himself could fall. And he didn’t think at all that the cliff and its cornice were beautiful in their own way and that this simple beauty should also be protected. The boy also did not think that on the steep slope there might be someone’s burrows, for example, shore swallows or some insects, and that these burrows would be destroyed. Fortunately, Lyosha did not have time to do anything bad - the teacher stopped him. But the teacher is not always next to the children...
What makes up the beauty of our planet? Flowers and trees, birds and butterflies, seas and rivers - this is only part of its beauty. Everything that nature has created is beautiful in its own way. And this small cliff too. And here is that boulder stone that lies nearby.
Imagine that we approached such a boulder. It can be the size of a football or larger than an adult. The smooth, round stone became hot on the sunny side, and cool on the shady side. How nice it is to put your palms on it. Looking at this mighty stone, touching it, you feel some kind of majestic, exciting wisdom of the centuries. Well, that's how it should be. After all, a boulder lying calmly somewhere in the forest or on the bank of a river is not just a stone. It is a kind of natural monument left by a very long time ago.
Why do caves appear?
The earth's surface has a complex structure in composition and configuration. At one time, when the formation of land and oceans took place, various minerals were also formed. For example, basalt appeared when high temperature and pressure resulting from volcanic activity. Granite also arose under the same conditions. But limestone, marble, chalk, gypsum and salt, which can make up stalactites and stalagmites, were formed by a different mechanism, in less extreme circumstances. All of them dissolve in water - this is their distinctive property. When water washes these elements out of rocks, voids appear inside. They are called caves.
Geological processesEmpty space inside any body is karst. In accordance with this term, most of them began to be called karst. known to people caves It must be said that caves can also be formed as a result of other processes occurring in earth's crust, but this is a topic for another discussion. It is important to emphasize that stalactites and stalagmites arise precisely in karst formations. In these voids, natural processes do not stop for a moment, although they continue for many millions of years. Scientists have calculated that stalactites and stalagmites grow by about 1 cm every 100 years.
According to experts, the largest karst cave on the planet is located in the USA. The state of Kentucky is famous for its Mammoth Caves, whose stalactites and stalagmites attract both tourists and scientists. These caves communicate with each other. The total length of underground halls and passages is 560 kilometers. There are almost one and a half thousand caves on the island of Crete. The most interesting of them is Sfedoni. Its age is estimated from seven to fifteen million years. Its dimensions are modest, only 145 meters. However, its interior (so to speak) is distinguished by amazing proportions and beauty. It seems that it was decorated by human hands.
When first getting to know caves, some people wonder what is the difference between stalactites and stalagmites? In everyday language, stalactites are “icicles” that hang from the ceiling. Water seeps through the soil and rock, simultaneously eroding the minerals that dissolve in it. Once inside the cave, the water evaporates, and the minerals remain in the dry residue. The icicle gradually grows and increases in size. In the case when the mineral solution is weakly saturated, its drops fall from a height and reach the floor. An “icicle” also forms in this place, only with the tip up. This is a stalagmite.
Experts and amateurs underground routes People never cease to be amazed at the diversity of caves on the planet. It would seem that everything has already been studied and explained. However, new facts force us to return to the same questions again and again. It is well known that stalactites and stalagmites are formed as a result of the evaporation of moisture that penetrates from the outside. However, research recent years showed that this does not always happen. From the above it follows that the caves have not yet revealed all their secrets. Inquisitive and energetic researchers still have to puzzle over their solution.
στάλαγμα - drop) - sintered mineral formations ( for the most part calcareous, less often gypsum, salt), growing in the form of cones, pillars from the bottom of caves and other underground karst cavities towards stalactites and often merging with them, forming a stalagnate. The stalagmite found in the Martin Infierno cave (Spanish) is considered one of the tallest in the world and the largest in America. Martin Infierno), province of Cienfuegos (Cuba). Its height is 67.2 m. In Europe - 35.6 m (Buzgo cave in Slovakia).Stalagmite in Sablinsky caves
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Excerpt characterizing Stalagmite
- She loves you.“Don’t talk nonsense...” said Prince Andrei, smiling and looking into Pierre’s eyes.
“He loves me, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrei, stopping him by the hand. – Do you know what situation I’m in? I need to tell everything to someone.
“Well, well, say, I’m very glad,” said Pierre, and indeed his face changed, the wrinkles smoothed out, and he joyfully listened to Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his melancholy, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was the only person to whom he dared to speak; but he expressed to him everything that was in his soul. Either he easily and boldly made plans for a long future, talked about how he could not sacrifice his happiness for the whim of his father, how he would force his father to agree to this marriage and love her or do without his consent, then he was surprised how something strange, alien, independent of him, influenced by the feeling that possessed him.
“I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me that I could love like that,” said Prince Andrei. “This is not at all the feeling that I had before.” The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one - she and there is all the happiness of hope, light; the other half is everything where she is not there, there is all despondency and darkness...
“Darkness and gloom,” Pierre repeated, “yes, yes, I understand that.”
– I can’t help but love the world, it’s not my fault. And I'm very happy. You understand me? I know you're happy for me.
Nature never ceases to amaze us; there are so many unusual and interesting things in the world that, upon seeing them, a person freezes with delight. It is almost impossible to travel the entire planet and see all the sights, learn about all types of plants and animals, but still some natural monuments They are found in many countries, which allows a large number of people to become familiar with them.
Stalactites and stalagmites are among the extraordinary creations of nature. there are in many countries, so inquisitive tourists can easily satisfy their curiosity and explore them from the inside. You shouldn’t go far away, because such a miracle exists in Russia, Ukraine, stalactites and stalagmites of amazing beauty are found in Israel, China, and Slovakia.
Their size and shape depend on the size of the cave and its location. Many people are interested in the question of how stalactites and stalagmites differ. It is worth noting that both are formed from calcium and other minerals. Even in the highest rocky caves there are small cracks through which water penetrates. Since they have to go a very long way before they can get into the cave, on their way they wash away the existing mineral deposits. The water never flows in a stream: since the hole is too small, it comes in small droplets.
Stalactites translated from Greek mean “drop by drop”. These are nothing more than chemogenic deposits in karst caves. They are different types and species, mainly icicles, combs, straws and fringes. Stalagmite, translated from Greek, means “drop”; these are mineral growths on the ground that rise over time in the form of cones or pillars. They can be limestone, salt or gypsum. The main difference between these two growths is that stalactites grow from the ceiling, and stalagmites from the bottom of the cave.
Stalactites and stalagmites can in some cases join together to form a column called a stalagnate. This may take thousands, or even millions of years, because these huge blocks grow from billions of small droplets. This process occurs most quickly in low caves. It can be impossible to get through there because of the densely placed pillars.
Karst caves are considered a favorite place to visit for tourists. People are interested in looking at stalactites and stalagmites, taking pictures next to them, and touching them with their hands. Being next to this miracle of nature, you understand that it existed hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago and has survived to this day. In Cuba, in the Las Villas cave, the tallest stalagmite on the planet was discovered, its height reaches 63 m. The largest stalactite is considered to be a stone icicle hanging in Gruga do Janelao in Brazil, its height is 32 m. Europe also has its own giants, Thus, in Slovakia, a stalagmite 35.6 m high was found in the Buzgo cave.
Stalactites and stalagmites have the same origin, although they look different. The former are thinner and more graceful, while the latter are thick and wide.