DescriptionHelictites (Cave of the Winds, Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA) (8317600624).jpg
The general term for all secondary mineral deposits occurring in caves is speleothem. Between 200 and 300 different minerals have been reported to occur in various speleothems around the world. The most common speleothem minerals are calcite (CaCO3), aragonite (CaCO3), and gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O). Calcitic speleothem is given the rock name travertine.
Varieties of cave travertine are named based on morphology and origin. The most common type is dripstone, which includes stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. Other varieties include flowstone, knobstone (a.k.a. coralloids), helictites, shelfstone, rimstone, cave pearls, frostwork, etc.
The structures shown above are helictites - principally antler helictites, but some vermiform helictites are also present. Helictites are irregularly twisted speleothem structures formed by precipitation of minerals (in this case, calcite) from seeping water that moves by capillary action and hydrostatic pressure.
Locality: Cave of the Winds, north of the town of Manitou Springs, central Colorado, USA
to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0CC BY 2.0 Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 truetrue