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Speleothems

Stalactites vs Stalagmites? I’m Confused!

Have you ever experienced getting burned when your friend told you to take photos of stalagmites yet you took shots up in the ceiling? Or when you asked your spelunking mate to check the spectacular stalactite on the floor? Hold it, there’s something wrong.

Spelunking is a unique experience as you delve into the beauty of the subterranean landscape. Through this experience, you often get awed with the stalagmites and stalactites inside the cave. The problem is, novice spelunkers often get confused whether what to call those hanging from the ceiling or those at the floor. Is it stalactite or a stalagmite?

Mineral rock formations, otherwise known as speleothems, come to life when dissolved minerals contained in water. As the water seeps through small crevices the minerals get deposited and solidify in cave’s ceilings, walls, and floors.

Caving Mnemonic

To make it easier to memorize, stalactite has ‘c’ in it as in ceiling while stalagmite has ‘g’ as in ground.

Stalactites

Stalactites form exclusively on ceilings as dissolved minerals drip down in the form of mineralized water (Gauri, n.d.).

Sibud-Sibud Cave: A Hidden Spelunking Destination in Abra
A stalactite resembling an uncircumcised penis in Sibud-Sibud Cave in Tineg, Abra.

Stalagmites

On the other hand, stalagmites form where the dripping mineralized water touches the floor and deposits its minerals (Gauri, n.d.).

Libtec Crystal Cave, also known as Quilling Crystal Cave, is located in Dolores, a municipality in the nature-blessed province of Abra.
A stalagmite seen in Libtec Crystal Cave in Dolores, Abra.

Caving Trivia

The longest free-hanging stalactite measuring 28 meters is found in Gruta do Janelao in Brazil while the tallest unitary stalagmite (67.2 meters) and tallest stalagmite in a cluster (70 meters) are found in Cueva San Martin Infierno, Cuba and Hang Son Doong, Vietnam, respectively (Burnell, 2019).

So, when you go to a yet another spelunking trip, you’ll not get embarrassed again by not correctly differentiating whether the formations are stalactites or stalagmites.

References

Burnell, D. (2019). The world’s largest cave formations. Retrieved on 10 Aug 2019 from http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/largest.htm

Gauri, S. (n.d.). Stalactite vs Stalagmite. Accessed on 10 Aug 2019 from https://www.diffen.com/difference/Stalactite_vs_Stalagmite 

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