File:Travertine stalactite (Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, USA) 3.jpg
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English: Western Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system on Earth, with 412 miles known and mapped as of fall 2017. The name does not refer to the early discovery of fossil mastodon or mammoth bones here. Rather, the name refers to the immense size of many rooms and passages.
Speleothem (= "cave formations") refers to all secondary mineral deposits in caves. Most speleothem is composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3 - usually in the form of calcite, but sometimes aragonite). Calcareous speleothem is referred to using the rock name "travertine", a crystalline-textured, chemical sedimentary rock formed by precipitation from water. Dripstone and flowstone are the most common forms of travertine speleothem. Dripstone forms by calcium carbonate precipitation from dripping water. Flowstone forms by calcium carbonate precipitation from thin sheets of flowing water. The most common forms of dripstone are stalactites (attached to ceilings), stalagmites (growing from the floor), columns (= fused stalactite-stalagmite pairs), and draperies (= curtain-like sheets formed as water drops descend along an inclined surface). Flowstone often has the appearance of frozen waterfalls. This is a vintage specimen of a broken travertine stalactite attributed to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. I cannot verify that, but it is an "antique". Early cave operators sold pieces of "cave formation" in their gift shops. I'm under the impression (but I don't recall where I heard it) that early tourist specimens sold at Mammoth Cave came from nearby White's Cave. The latter is located in modern-day Mammoth Cave park and is rich in travertine speleothem, but its entrance is currently grated. This example is covered with coralloids / knobstone ("cave popcorn"). Provenance: purchased 2012 at an auction of the F.H. Wales rock collection; originally acquired (purchased or collected?) in the 1880s, 1890s, or 1900s by F.H. Wales |
| Date | |
| Source | https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/50704402822/ |
| Author | James St. John |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/50704402822. It was reviewed on 11 December 2020 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. |
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| current | 16:20, 11 December 2020 | | 2,315 × 3,118 (5.65 MB) | Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) | Uploaded a work by James St. John from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/50704402822/ with UploadWizard |
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