stalagmite

thumb|upright=1.75|Image showing the six most common speleothems thumb|upright|The "Witch's Finger" in Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

AI overview

A stalagmite is a cone-shaped formation that builds up from the floor of a cave as mineral-rich water drips and deposits layers of rock over thousands of years. These formations are scientifically valuable because their mineral composition can reveal information about past climate and environmental conditions.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Subclass of: concretion
Image: 00 0133 Cevennen - Aven d´Ornac.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Stalagmites
opposite of: stalactite
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00000330

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections

Contents

Formation and type
Limestone stalagmites
Lava stalagmites
Ice stalagmites
Concrete derived stalagmites
Records
Photo gallery
References
External links

thumb|upright=1.75|Image showing the six most common speleothems thumb|upright|The "Witch's Finger" in Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

A stalagmite (, ; ; ) is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically composed of calcium carbonate, but may consist of lava, mud, peat, pitch, sand, sinter, and amberat (crystallized urine of pack rats).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “stalagmite” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.