Rebellious Stalactites Defy Cave Tradition

Stalactites Caves Speleology Minerals Formations Calcium Rebellion

Geology Earth-science

5 days ago 3,626 views 0 shares

Rebellious Stalactites Defy Cave Tradition

stalactites-memes, caves-memes, geology-memes, speleology-memes, minerals-memes | ScienceHumor.io

The eternal struggle of the speleologist versus rebellious cave formations! Those darn teenage stalactites going through their "sideways phase" instead of following the proper downward growth pattern that's been established for millions of years.

What we're seeing is actually a brilliant play on cave formation science. Stalactites typically form when mineralized water drips from a cave ceiling, depositing calcium carbonate in tiny rings that gradually extend downward (remember: stalactites hold "tight" to the ceiling). But these formations are growing in all sorts of unauthorized directions!

The fictional "stalactite supervisor" personifies the human tendency to impose order on natural phenomena. Nature, meanwhile, couldn't care less about our classification systems and just follows physics and chemistry wherever they lead. Gravity? Sometimes optional. Tradition? Never heard of her.

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