stalactites

Rock structures formed on the ceilings of caves as water drips down, leaving behind minerals before it falls. (Compare stalagmites.)

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Stalactites grow very slowly.

One easy way to distinguish stalactites from stalagmites is to recall that stalactites “hold tight” to the ceiling of a cave. Stalagmites “might reach the ceiling” of the cave and form a column.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The stalactites and stalagmites of Sequoia National Park’s Crystal Cave, a sprawling subterranean wonder that’s been closed for four years, will be accessible again this summer.

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After a short walk through a maze of stalactites, Michael is lowered into the dark.

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The metal structure is being eaten away by microbes, creating stalactites of rust called rusticles.

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Arching over the emerald basin are walls of stalactites dripping down the cavern ceiling, which opens to a dense jungle.

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Large stalactites hang from the rock ceiling above me, but I’m running along a brick road.

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stalactite stalactite work

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