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weather. The wind direction changes as often as the weather conditions outside change. But the dripstones grow very slowly – several centimeters in 100 years – meaning that the wind direction would have to stay steady for long periods of time, changing for every fragment of a millimeter of growth. A second problem with this idea is that many caves with helictites have no natural entrance where wind could enter.
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A helictite starts its growth as a tiny stalactite. The direction of the end of the straw may wander, twist like a corkscrew, or the main part may form normally while small helictites pop out of its side like rootlets or fishhooks. In some caves, helictites cluster together and form bushes as large
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The most likely hypothesis explains helictites as a result of capillary forces. If the helictite has a very thin central tube where the water flows as it does in straws, capillary forces would be able to transport water against gravity. This idea was inspired by some hollow helictites. However, the
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are blown to one side, so the dripstone grows in that direction. If the wind changes, the direction of growth changes too. However, this hypothesis is very problematic, because wind directions change very often. The wind in caves depends on air pressure changes outside, which in turn depend on the
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Another hypothesis that has been proposed is that slowly changing geological pressure causing stresses on the crystals at the base alters the piezo electrostatic potential and causes particle deposition to be oriented in some relationship to the prevailing pressure orientation.
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For an unknown reason, when the chemical composition of the water is slightly altered, the single crystal structure can change from a cylindrical shape to a conical one. In some of these cases, each crystal fits into the prior one like an inverted stack of ice cream cones.
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The growth of helictites is still quite enigmatic. To this day, there has been no satisfactory explanation for how they are formed. Currently, formation by capillary forces is the most likely hypothesis, but another hypothesis based on wind formation is also viable.
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majority of helictites are not hollow. Despite this, droplets can be drawn to the tips of existing structures and deposit their calcite load almost anywhere thereon. This can lead to the wandering and curling structures seen in many helictites.
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as six feet tall. These bushes grow from the floor of the cave. When helictites are found on cave floors, they are referred to as heligmites, though there is debate as to whether this is a genuine subcategory.
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that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. Helictites have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were grown in
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A recent hypothesis, which is supported by observation, is that a prokaryotic bacterial film provides a nucleation site for mineralization process.
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Another hypothesis names the wind in the cave as the main reason for the strange appearance. Drops hanging on a
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in Utah has one of the largest collections of these formations in the world. Large numbers are also in the
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Helictites are, perhaps, the most delicate of cave formations. They are usually made of needle-form
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The
Virtual Cave: Helictites Microbial mediation of complex subterranean mineral structures
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acting on tiny water droplets, a force often strong enough at this scale to defy gravity.
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Does crystal splitting play a part in the curvature of helictites? (Abstract)
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239:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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Diagram of dripstone cave structures (helictites are labeled H)
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391:, Sci. Rep. 5, 15525; doi: 10.1038/srep15525 (2015)
97:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
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255:Learn how and when to remove this message
128:Learn how and when to remove this message
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30:For the Australian caving journal, see
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44:Rare "fishtail" helictites in the
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424:Journal of Cave and Karst Studies
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27:Seemingly space-set speleothems
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410:The Virtual Cave: Helictites
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350:Helictite formations in
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422:By George W. Moore,
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104:Please help
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440:Speleothems
110:introducing
375:References
295:stalactite
229:improve it
146:speleothem
65:Derbyshire
18:Helictites
369:Anthodite
333:Australia
311:Bacterial
233:verifying
201:Formation
195:Karrantza
169:aragonite
142:helictite
35:(journal)
33:Helictite
434:Category
363:See also
356:Indiana
227:Please
179:caves.
177:tourist
165:calcite
106:improve
144:is a
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