27 April 2009

Jardin Exotique - Strange Forms


Coincidental with this series, I happened to watch a fabulous BBC programme the other day called Planet Earth in which the great David Attenborough was talking about stalactites and stalagmites. I'd not known how they form - you probably do - but if not, it seems water drips, drip, drips and the water contains calcite (calcium carbonate) - for each drop of water, the minutest amount of calcite remains and slowly builds until a stalactite or stalagmite is formed. If a stalactite and a stalagmite meet, then it's called a column.

They look so soft and slimy to the touch, don't they? In fact, they are really hard and not slimy - just wet - and strangely beautiful.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a nice photo. We have been in our Ohio Caverns.

The Hamlet of Gordon

That is the chicken said...

They look like squid tentacles! cool shot!

Jane Hards Photography said...

Sir David is a genius. These remind me of Bill Nighy's face in The Pirates of the Carribean series. Weird.

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