How Stalactites and Stalagmites Form - Cave Formation Process Explained #270534 (License: Personal Use)

The image illustrates three sequential stages of speleothem development: first, water saturated with dissolved calcium carbonate seeps through cracks in the cave ceiling; second, as each drop hangs and evaporates, it deposits a tiny ring of calcite, gradually building a stalactite; third, when drops fall to the floor, they similarly deposit calcite, forming a stalagmite that may eventually fuse with the stalactite above. The blue droplets emphasize the role of water in this slow, continuous process.

Used on educational geology pages, museum exhibits, or travel sites about caves and karst landscapes; targets users seeking to understand natural cave formations or planning visits to limestone caverns.