Look up and you'll see the terrestrial vault
The stalactites in this picture hang from subvertical Carboniferous limestone strata, deformed during the Variscan Orogeny. The reddish colours are inherited from the Fe-rich nodular limestones (Griotte) from which the calcium carbonate that constitutea the stalactites has been dissolved. Upon contact with the air of the cave, the drops loose their CO2, causing precipitation of the now-saturated calcium carbonate.
The photo was taken in the beautiful Valporquero Cave, in the province of León, northern Spain
Taken on 19
April
2015
Submitted on Feb. 28, 2017
Categories
- Climate: Past, Present & Future (679)
- Field (2761)
- Geomorphology (1290)
- Tectonics and Structural Geology (549)
Location
- Europe (3535)
- Southern Europe (1526)
- Spain (732)
- Exact location (-5.5638 W, 42.9086 N)
Tags
karst, cave, stalactite, limestone, griotte
Colour palette
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Camera:
Nikon D3200
Licence
Credit: Manuel de Paz Álvarez (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)
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