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IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS455 Blowing Cave Rd.
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IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS455 Blowing Cave Rd.
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| A stalactite is an
icicle-shaped formation which hangs down from the ceiling of a cave.
Stalactites are formed as ground water containing minerals filters
through the earth's layers and drips through the ceiling of the cave.
The minerals are deposited as the water evaporates, and over hundreds of
years the mineral deposits build up and form stalactites.
Draperies are deposited from calcite-rich solutions flowing along an overhung surface. Surface tension allows these solutions to cling to a wall or sloping ceiling as they stream slowly downward. Loss of carbon dioxide to the cave atmosphere then causes the solutions to become supersaturated with respect to calcite, which is deposited in thin trails. Initial calcite trails, hanging slightly lower than the surrounding surface, become preferential routes for continued flow, and so develop into slender, delicate sheets. Ripples and folds in cave draperies, which reflect the erratic path of pioneer flow routes, are reminiscent of 'drapes' of supple cloth, and the likeness provided an obvious name for these formations. |
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Stalactites at Forbidden Caverns |
Rock Candy Mountain at Forbidden Caverns |
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Cave Draperies at Forbidden Caverns |
Stalactites at Forbidden Caverns |
865-453-5972
