Stalactites lengthen from cave ceilings one mineral drip at a time
Stalactites hang from cave ceilings as drip after drip of mineral-rich water loses carbon dioxide and leaves a tiny ring of calcite or other minerals.
Growth is often measured in millimeters per year or slower, so a meter-long spear can represent centuries of patient chemistry. Matching stalagmites rise from the floor where drops land.
Time becomes architecture underground. Stalactites prove caves are still being built drop by drop long after the first passage opened.
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