stalagmitic
Rising cave formation
Stalagmitic describes something resembling or relating to stalagmites—the cone-shaped mineral deposits that build up from cave floors where mineral-rich water drips.
The adjective applies to formations, textures, or growth patterns that share this upward-projecting, layered quality: The cave's stalagmitic pillars had taken millennia to form.
Large natural underground chamber
- grottoSmall scenic cavern
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
spelunking · dripstone · flowstone · column · karst · bat · darkness · echo
Crystalline calcium carbonate
- aragoniteCalcium carbonate crystal form
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- carbonateAdd dissolved gas
- crystallineClear, ordered, brilliant
travertine · gypsum · precipitate · deposition · crystallization · accretion · concretion · layered
Increase in size
- buildupGradual accumulation over time
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
Scientific study of caves
- geomorphologyStudy of terrain formation
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- sedimentaryFormed from deposited material
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
hydrology · petrology · paleoclimate · geologist · dissolution · groundwater
cavern
Large natural underground chamber
- grottoSmall scenic cavern
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
subterranean · spelunking · dripstone · flowstone · column · karst · bat · darkness · echo
calcite
Crystalline calcium carbonate
- aragoniteCalcium carbonate crystal form
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- carbonateAdd dissolved gas
crystalline · travertine · gypsum · precipitate · deposition · crystallization · accretion · concretion · layered · banded
growth
Increase in size
- buildupGradual accumulation over time
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- accretionGrowth through external addition
deposition · conical · columnar · tapered · centuries · millennia
speleology
Scientific study of caves
- geomorphologyStudy of terrain formation
- karstEroded soluble rock terrain
- sedimentaryFormed from deposited material
stratigraphy · hydrology · petrology · paleoclimate · geologist · dissolution · groundwater
stalagmiticstalactitic
Like mineral icicles descending
hanging · pendant · descending · pendent · suspended