~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Structure, composition and appearance
- Occurrence
- Types
- Anthodite-like formations
- References
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Anthodites (Greek ἄνθος ánthos, "flower", -ode, adjectival combining form, -ite adjectival suffix) are speleothems (cave formations) composed of long needle-like crystals situated in clusters which radiate outward from a common base. The "needles" may be quill-like or feathery. Most anthodites are made of the mineral aragonite (a variety of calcium carbonate, CaCO3), although some are composed of gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Anthodite” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.