Before the sea level rose, thousands of years ago, the cave was dry. The island where the 'Chandelier Cave' is, is made of limestone. Stalactites, also called dripstones, are special geological structures which are formed very slowly.
The procedure is as follows:
Falling rain absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When this rainwater seeps into the ground it collects organic acids. The calcium carbonate (lime) in the water is then absorbed into the limestone.
This limestone combines with carbon dioxide to create calcium hydrogen carbonate which is soluble.
When the water reaches the top of the cave, it drips this solution through existing cracks.
Air causes the carbon dioxide to escape and the calcium hydrogen carbonate is created
again into hard water soluble calcium carbonate (lime).
The water evaporates and the lime, which had formed over the course of thousands of years remains.
Stalactites are called 'dripstones' because they form on the top of the cave and grow downwards the ground.
The average growth rate is 0.13 mm a year.
The word stalactites is derived from the Greek word σταλακτός ((stalaktos), meaning 'dripping' and the
Greek suffix -ίτης (ites) which means 'belong to' source: wikipedia
Here are some different types of stalactites: Column, Straws, Shark tooth, Drapery, Flowstone,
and so on......
The opposite of stalactites are the 'dripstones' on the ground. These are called stalagmites.
Question1: What kind of stalactites do you see in this cave?
Question2: As the cave is not completely flooded and there are some air chambers -
do the stalactites in the cave still form ?
Please send your answer by email before you log. If the answer is wrong, I will contact you. No answers - no log !
OPTIONAL: It would be nice if would add a picture of you in the cave to your log.
Suggestion: If you do not have an uw-camera, ask somebody to take a photograph of you,
BECAUSE THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS A MEMORY FOR LIFE.