Caves formed in limestone, as the vast majority are - but there are many caves that contain few or no "speleothems" as the formations are know collectively. The distribution and scale of the formations is subject to many, complex factors.
Stalactites are found hanging from the ceilings of caves, while stalagmites grow upwards from the cave floor. Stalactites point downwards, and stalagmites point upwards.
Stalactites are often found in caves.
Stalactites and stalagmites can be found in various caves throughout the UK, such as Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset, and Dan yr Ogof in Wales. These formations are created over thousands of years by mineral-rich water dripping from the cave ceiling and depositing calcium carbonate.
Calcite can be found in cave formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones. These formations are created when calcium-rich water drips or flows through the cave, leaving deposits of calcite behind as it evaporates.
In caves formed in limestone - as are most of the world's caves although not all such caves contain stalagmites and stalactites. They are precipitations of calcite dissolved from the host limestone by carbonic acid - rain water acidified by atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolved in it.
Miners can find valuable minerals such as gold, silver, copper, and diamonds in caves. Additionally, caves can contain geological formations like stalactites and stalagmites that are sought after for their beauty and rarity. However, mining in caves can be dangerous and environmentally damaging.
In caves, you can find formations like stalactites and stalagmites, cave-dwelling animals such as bats and insects, underground rivers or lakes, minerals like quartz or calcite, and sometimes even prehistoric cave paintings or artifacts left behind by early human inhabitants.
Stalactites and stalagmites can also form in underground tunnels, lava tubes, mines, and man-made structures like abandoned buildings and tunnels. They require a source of water to form as minerals are deposited over time.
Stalactites and Stalagmites.
They typically form in caves where they can grow undisturbed for hundreds of years. Stalagmites grow from the floor up and stalactites stick to the ceiling. Dripping water deposits minute amounts of limestone that build up over the years. +++ You do sometimes find small, rather coarse versions growing under bridges etc.built from bricks or ashlar masonry and mortar. Here, the calcite that is their constituent mineral has been leached from the structure's mortar. However caves in limestone (the rock hosting by far the majority of caves) are the natural home for stalagmites and stalactites, and their related formations.
Caves! Though you will also find them in some artificial subterranean structures, provided the necessary sources of calcium carbonate and water charged with carbon-dioxide to produce carbonic acid, are available. They need to be in air to form. They won't grow underwater, apart from certain forms of stalagmite deposit associated with pools or gently-trickling flows.
Some non-living things you may find in caves include stalactites and stalagmites (mineral deposits formed from dripping water), cave formations like flowstones and columns, cave pearls (small, rounded formations), and bat guano (bat droppings).