Stalactites and Stalagmites are formed by water dripping from fractures in the ceiling of a cave. As rainwater percolates through the soil and rock above, it dissolves and carries minerals as it passes through. Tiny bits of minerals (usually calcite) are left behind on the ceiling as the water drips to the cave floor. Some of it accumulates below where the drip splashes onto the cave floor. Depending on the amount of dissolved minerals in the water, they can anywhere from decades to millennia to grow.
How do you tell the difference? Stalactites have to hang on very tight to stay on the ceiling. Stalagmites have to grow with all their might to rise above the floor of the cave.
In ancient times on Remulak, we hid in caves to shelter from predators. Our cones were camouflage to help us hide among the stalagmites on the cave floor. Can you find us hiding in the photo below?
Logging Tasks:
1. Find a cave and go inside.
2. Check carefully for Coneheads hiding among the Stalagmites. Do the colors of the coneheads match the Stalagmites?
3. Check different caves and report in your log whether the coneheads and stalagmites are of different colors. If the colors of the stalagmites are different, do the coneheads always match?
4. Show your solidarity with the coneheads and post a photo of yourself wearing a traffic cone on your head with your log. (This is optional)
