Stalactites and
Stalagmites
EXPERIMENT
Supplies needed:
Two jars, water, Epsom salts, string, small weights,
and a plate.
Goal:
Special Thanks to:
Cassie Smith, Andrea
Dennis, Bobbie Woods,
Sarah Fenton, and Amber
Walkenback
To “grow” our own stalactites and stalagmites.
Step 1: Fill two jars with warm water.
Step 2: Mix in Epsom salts until no more will
dissolve.
Step 3: Wet a piece of string and tie a weight to
each end.
Step 4: Drop one end of the string into each jar.
Step 5: Put a plate between the two jars, with the
string hanging over the plate.
Step 6: Check the "cave" at least once a day to see
if stalactites and stalagmites have formed.
Team members:
Curtis Harrell
&
EAST/EMPACTS Lab
EAST Lab
Pictures from our experiment- Above: experiment
left in dark room. Below: experiment left by window
Brochure created by Andrea Dennis
What are Stalactites and
Stalagmites?
War Eagle Cavern is located onehalf mile off Highway 12, midway
between Eureka Springs and
Rogers, AR. See map below.
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed by
water dripping or flowing from fractures on
the ceiling of a cave.
Top: Physical
Stalactites are formed by the deposition of
calcium carbonate and other minerals, which
is precipitated from mineralized water
solutions. Limestone is calcium carbonate
rock which is dissolved by water that contains
carbon dioxide forming a calcium bicarbonate
solution. The chemical formula for this
reaction is: CaCO3(s) + H2O(l) + CO2(aq) →
science class
going into
cave entrance
Right: Cave
guide Curtis
Harrell
Ca(HCO3)2(aq)
A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that
rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to
the dripping of mineralized solutions and the
deposition of calcium carbonate.
If these formations grow together, the result is
known as a column.
War Eagle
Cavern is
home to
over 75,000
bats! The
two main
species that
Top: Inside the cave, a small pool of
inhabit the
water. Below: Inside the cave
cave are the
eastern
pipestrelle
bat and the
gray bat.
Above: War Eagle Cave Stalactites