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Drip by drip: Research provides first complete mathematical description of stalagmite shapes
Researchers solved a 60-year-old model showing stalagmite shapes depend on the Damköhler number, improving interpretation of paleoclimate isotope records, study says.
4 Articles
4 Articles
The maths of how stalagmites form
Towering stalactites hang from ceilings and mighty stalagmites rise from the floors of ancient caves around the world, much like the teeth of great cavernous mouths. These natural pillars form from water which filters through the ground, drips into caves and evaporates away to deposit calcite (calcium carbonate) and other minerals layer by layer. Stalagmites grow from just centimetres tall to metres in height over long periods of time, some form…
Drip by drip: Research provides first complete mathematical description of stalagmite shapes
Deep inside caves, water dripping from the ceiling creates one of nature's most iconic formations: stalagmites. These pillars of calcite, ranging from centimeters to many meters in height, rise from the cave floor as drip after drip of mineral-rich water deposits a tiny layer of stone.
Dripstones are among the most fascinating phenomena in the underground: they form slender columns, thick cones or more complex, tart-like structures. What determines the form of a stalagmite growing from the ground to the top, researchers have now mathematically described for the first time. According to their newly established formula, the form of a stalagmite depends above all on a parameter: the so-called Damköhler number. They [...] The arti…
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