The icicle-like forms shown in Figure 1 were brought to me as fulgurites. They are not fulgurites nor are they stalactites. Fulgurites are hollow and these icicle-like forms do not show the structure of stalactites

Cable, E. J.

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Stalactitic-like Deposits Found in a Gravel Pit in Black Hawk County

University of Northern Iowa

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of ScienceVolume 63 | Annual Issue Article 451956Stalactitic-like Deposits Found in a Gravel Pit inBlack Hawk CountyE. J. CableIowa State Teachers CollegeCopyright © Copyright 1956 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/piasThis Research is brought to you for free and open access by UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Proceedings of the Iowa Academyof Science by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uni.edu.Recommended CitationCable, E. J. (1956) "Stalactitic-like Deposits Found in a Gravel Pit in Black Hawk County," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science:Vol. 63: No. 1 , Article 45.Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol63/iss1/45Stalactitic-like Deposits Found in a Gravel Pit in Black Hawk County By E. J. CABLE Stalactites are formed in caverns and are generally attached to the roof of caverns or to some projecting edge. They may assume many shapes which is largely determined by the manner in which the water trickles over them, and also the amo:unt of water present. A stalactite which is broken across reveals a radial structure with fibrous crystals often passing across concentric zones of growth. The stalactite grows by calcium-bearing waters trickling over the surface. It is lengthened and extended from the center of the stalactite. Stalactites have their starting points on the wet roof of caverns where drops of water gather and begin to evaporate, losing the carbondioxide. The drops are thus saturated with carbonate and thus deposit the excess carbonate around the water drops. Contin-uous drops lengthen the rings into icicle-like pendants which gen-erally become a solid stalk. The icicle-like forms shown in Figure 1 were brought to me as fulgurites. They are not fulgurites nor are they stalactites. Fulgurites are hollow and these icicle-like forms do not show the structure of stalactites. The writer is of the opinion that they are some form of "rock-Figure l. Stalactitic-like deposits found in gravel pit in Black Hawk County. 443 1Cable: Stalactitic-like Deposits Found in a Gravel Pit in Black Hawk CouPublished by UNI ScholarWorks, 1956444 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE [Vol. 63 concretions" formed in the gravel. Such concretions are quite com-mon in sand and clay, but it seems quite possible that roots from growing vegetation could work their way down to some depths in the gravel and sand. Later, the roots die and then water could find its way down the decomposed root stems carrying cementing substances, in this case, iron that would knit together the sand and gravel particles surrounding the roots, thus giving them the shapes shown in Figure 1. DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE IowA STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE CEDAR FALLS, IowA 2Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, Vol. 63 [1956], No. 1, Art. 45https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol63/iss1/45

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Stalactitic-like Deposits Found in a Gravel Pit in Black Hawk County

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University of Northern Iowa