Return to Cave Journey Home Page
Who Lives in Caves? How Do Animals Adapt to Living in Caves? How Do Cave Animals Relate to Each Other? What is the Geology of a Cave? How & Why Would You Study a Cave? How Can I Help Conserve Caves?
Go to the Geology Room
Go to What Are Caves?
Go to Where Are Caves?
Go to How Do Caves Form?
Go to How Are Caves Decorated?
Go to Dripping Water
Go to Flowing Water
Go to Seeping Water
Go
Go to What Are Cave Decorations

Pooling Water
Diana Northup in the bottom of the paleopool in Hidden Cave.
Click on the Picture for Larger Image

Speleothems can form on the surface of pools or beneath the surface.

There are four examples of speleothems formed by pooling water below: Cave Pearls, Pool Fingers, U-Loops, and Rimstone Dams.

Cave Pearls:

This is a picture or a nest of cave pearls in Lower Cave, Carlsbad. They almost look like the real thing don't they?
Nest of Cave Pearls Lower Cave, Carlsbad
Click on the Picture for Larger Image


Pool Fingers:

This picture shows Diana Nothup pool fingers hanging from the ceiling of a paleopool in Hidden Cave. The ghost in the picture is, of course, not a real ghost, just Diana holding a glove which looks like a ghost.
Ghost helping Diana hold the tape measure steady while measuring Pool Fingers hanging from the ceiling of a paleopool in Hidden Cave.
Click on the Picture for Larger Image

U-Loops:

This picture is a close-up of the side of a paleopool in Hidden Cave. Can you see the double U-loop in the center of the picture, it may be calcified microbes!
Close-up of the side of a paleopool in Hidden Cave. Can you see the double U-loop in the center of the picture, it may be calcified microbes!

Click on the Picture for Larger Image

Rimstone Dams:

This picture is of a rimstone dam in Hidden Cave. It almost looks man-made doesn't it, yet again nature shows us that it's just as good!
Rimstone dam in Hidden Cave.
Click on the Picture for Larger Image

Click on the Link(s) Below to Learn (About)...

How Dripping Water Makes Cave Decorations
------
How Flowing Water Makes Cave Decorations
------
How Seeping Water Makes Cave Decorations

OR

Click on the Link(s) Below to Learn (About)...

Cave Decorations
------
What Caves Are
------
Where Caves Are
------
How Caves Form
------
How Caves Are Decorated