Incredible Hollow Stalagmite

This is so amazing, an Conulite Speleothem Stalagmite with druzy calcite coating the inside. I’ve never seen anything like this, although it does kind of remind me of a cornucopia a symbol of wealth and abundance.

Know as a Cave Cup/Mud Cup this would’ve taken anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years to form depending on the cave’s environment. It would have grown much faster if there was a constant, heavy drip of water saturated with carbon dioxide and minerals, or significantly slower if the water source dried up during seasonal changes.

This is just so amazing and blows my mind. 🤩

Some information on how this formed and what causes its colour and sparkle

• Water Drips: It originally formed on a soft cave floor composed of mud, sand, or fine sediment. Fast, energetic water drops falling from a high ceiling drilled a cone-shaped pit into the soft ground.

• Mineral Coating: The mineral rich water then lined the interior walls of this pit with a smooth, solid crust of calcite.

• Erosion: Over time, the loose surrounding sediment washed away or eroded, leaving behind only the hardened, hollow mineral cup.

• Druzy Crystal Lining: The interior walls are covered with microscopic calcites, when the light hits this surface, it reflects a beautiful glittery/druzy shimmer.
• Botryoidal Textures: You can see how the mineral grew in rounded, grape like clusters (known as *botryoidal* growth). As the mineral rich cave water pooled inside the cup, it slowly built up these smooth, bulbous mounds layer by layer.

• The “Root” Structure: This hollow center is essentially a snapshot of a pipeline where water drops regularly splashed down, keeping the interior constantly wet and allowing crystals to freely crystallize and precipitate outward from the muddy walls

Consciously Sourced
Handle with care as may be fragile

Weight: 288g
Size: 15 x 10.5 x 10cm approx