The best known are stalactites (growing down from the roof), stalagmites (up from the floor), and columns - formed by stalactites meeting their corresponding stalagmites.
They come in many shapes and sizes from "straws" (very fine stalactites like drinking-straws - I think American cavers call them "soda straws") upwards. Minerals such as iron can tint the formations: in one English cave I know, there is a patch of stumpy, pudding-shaped stalagmites tinted by iron so they resemble caramel-creme puddings. They look almost edible. So what did their discoverers call them? "The Blobs"!
If the calcite solution trickles down a sloping roof it can form "curtains" (draperies in USA, I believe) - you can imagine their folded, sheet-like forms from their names.
Flowstone is calcite deposited across a floor, and this can form natural weirs creating"gour" ("rimstone") pools in the film of flowing water that is depositing the calcite.
Dripping calcite solution may form spherical "cave pearls" around grains of sand, until they become too heavy for the dripping to turn,when they start to coalesce. Or if dripping onto a mud-bank,the impacts may drill a shallow funnel-shaped pit that becomes lined with calcite - "mud roses".
Botryoidalformations resemble the surface ofa cauliflower.
Oddest though, and for which no satisfactory explanation has been determined, are helictites. These are small stalatcites, often growing from a wall, twisted into veryodd shapes. Some look like pertified spaghetti, or rather irregular deer antlers.
These are the main forms - various, rare, versions occur too.
calcite is found all over the united states
Calcite is most commonly found in limestone, and its metamorphic counterpart, marble. Calcite is a fairly common mineral, found all over the world. As well as being found in many states of the USA, such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, New Mexico (the largest known calcite expanse), Ohio, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado and Massachusetts, calcite is mined in Namibia, Brazil, Germany, India, Romania, England, Canada, China, Pakistan, Mexico, Australia and Russia. Calcite is also found in basalt caves and cavities in Iceland.
Those are stalagmites. It has a 'g' in it, so think of 'Ground' to help you remember.The deposits hanging from the roof of the cave are stalactites. It has a 'c' in it, so think of 'Ceiling'. They also Stick Tight to the ceiling.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is composed largely of the minerals calcite.
Calcite
Stalactites and stalagmites are precipitated calcite.
calcite is found all over the united states
Stalactites and stalagmites in caves.caves
Cave pearls are a calcite formation found in caves that resemble pearls because they are white and round.
The correct spelling is calcite. The carbonate mineral, calcite, is colorless, yellow, or white. As one of the most common and soft minerals in the world, it can be found in cave deposits and sedimentary rock masses.
Limestone rocks are mainly found in caves. These rocks are soluble in water, allowing for the formation of various cave structures such as stalactites and stalagmites through the process of dissolution.
The surface deposits in Centralia and most of Central and Southern Illinois are underlain by limestone and dolomite deposits which have pockets of collectible calcite minerals. If you are looking for specimens, the rocky outcrops and roadcuts that lie near Cape Girardeau, or nearly anywhere in the far south Illinois area would be your best bet.
No. Not unless it is found in massive deposits would it be economic. However, some very pure and beautiful samples could be valuable to collectors.
Calcite is most commonly found in limestone, and its metamorphic counterpart, marble. Calcite is a fairly common mineral, found all over the world. As well as being found in many states of the USA, such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, New Mexico (the largest known calcite expanse), Ohio, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado and Massachusetts, calcite is mined in Namibia, Brazil, Germany, India, Romania, England, Canada, China, Pakistan, Mexico, Australia and Russia. Calcite is also found in basalt caves and cavities in Iceland.
Orange Calcite is found in Igneous and Metamorphic rocks.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in eleven caves around Qumran. They were found by a sheep herder. The scrolls were found inside sealed pots/jars in the caves. They were 972 previously undiscovered texts from the Hebrew Bible.
Most caves are found in areas with limestone bedrock, as it is easily dissolved by water, creating caves through a process called karst topography. These areas include regions like Kentucky in the United States, parts of China, and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.