Stalagmite facts for kids
A stalagmite is a cool rock shape you can find on the floor of a cave. It grows upwards from the ground. This happens when water full of minerals drips from the cave ceiling. Over time, tiny bits of calcium carbonate (a type of mineral) are left behind, slowly building up a column. The rock shape that hangs down from the ceiling is called a stalactite.
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Easy Ways to Tell Them Apart
It can be tricky to remember which one is which! Here are some simple tricks:
- StalaCtite has a "c" for "ceiling" – it hangs from the top.
- StalaGmite has a "g" for "ground" – it grows from the bottom.
- Imagine the letter T in stalacTite; it looks like something hanging down.
- Imagine the letter M in stalagMite; it looks like something rising up.
Protecting Cave Formations
When you visit caves with these amazing rock formations, guides will often ask you not to touch them. This is super important because these formations are still growing! They form when minerals in water stick together. If you touch them, the oils from your skin can get on the rock. This makes it hard for the mineral water to stick, and the formation might stop growing naturally. So, keeping your hands off helps these natural wonders continue to form for many years.
Stalagmites on Concrete
Did you know that stalagmites and stalactites can also form outside of natural caves? They can grow on concrete ceilings and floors, like in old basements or under bridges. The cool thing is, they grow much faster on concrete than they do in natural caves!
Related pages
Images for kids
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Image showing the six most common speleothems
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Calthemite stalagmite growing on a floor beneath a concrete structure
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Coves d’Artà, Mallorca, Spain
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Seven-star Cave, Guilin, China
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A “crayfish back”, Jenolan Caves, New South Wales, Australia
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Hérault, France
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Castellana Grotte, Apulia, Italy
See also
In Spanish: Estalagmita para niños
