Pictures of what stalagmites look like

The stalagmite root is 3 meters high, cylindrical, with a sharp top and a thick bottom. It is carved from white granite and composed of four stacked sections, with a simple shape.

Stalagmites are made of water full of calcium carbonate that drips from cracks in the cave ceiling or from stalactites to the bottom of the cave. On the one hand, due to the evaporation of water, on the other hand, due to the sometimes high temperature in the cave, the water The amount of dissolved CO2 decreases, so calcium precipitates and deposits at the bottom of the cave.

Over time, stalagmites grow from bottom to top, and stalactites grow from top to bottom. Stalagmites are shaped like bamboo shoots when unearthed, growing from bottom to top. Stalagmites and stalactites grow slowly, reaching about one meter in 10,000 years. Stalagmites are formed when carbonated water drips into one place and calcium carbonate precipitates. Stalagmites can have different shapes, and the flow rate of the water droplets, the height of the water droplets, and the condition of the ground all affect the shape of the stalagmites.

stalagmites reflect climate change

Except for particularly dry years when water no longer drips from the cave roof, stalagmites generally grow every year. As the seasons change, the water dripping from the cave roof contains different material components. In this way, just like the tree rings formed by trees, stalagmites will also form their own annual rings, and the age of the stalagmites can also be counted through the annual rings. Many stalagmites were formed a long time ago. Since there was no dripping water, they stopped growing and became "dead" stalagmites. Researchers have a way to accurately measure the age of the growth of these stalagmites.

As the climate changes, the substances contained in the limestone of stalagmites will also change. By measuring the changes in these substances, scientists can restore past climate changes. There are many limestone caves in China, in which a large number of stalagmites grow, which have become important materials for paleoclimate research. For example, Dongge Cave in Guizhou, Hulu Cave in Nanjing, and Wanxiang Cave in Gansu are all geomantic treasures that use stalagmites to study ancient climate.