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HOW DOES IT FORM? A column is formed in a cave when a stalacite (which grows down from the ceiling) and a stalagmite (which grows up from the floor) meet and grow togther. WHERE IS IT FOUND? A column can be found wherever stalactites and stalagmites grow, but they are less common because it takes a very long time for the formations to meet and grow together. The example above left can be found at Black Chasm, and the lower example is in the Pancake room at Boyden Cave, and is covered in popcorn rock. HOW IS IT IDENTIFIED? Many formations which extend from the ceiling to the floor are columns. Sometimes they have been joined for so long that it is hard to tell they were ever separate formations. |
| For more detailed information on speleothem formation, go to our Cavern Geology lesson plan's section on speleothems by clicking HERE. © 2006 Sierra Nevada Recreation Corporation. All rights reserved. |
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