Wind Cave National Park - Speleothems - Calcite Rafts (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS Photo by Dave Schnute

Calcite rafts floating on the surface of Calcite Lake

Calcite rafts are thin sheets of calcite that today are precipitating and floating on the surface of Calcite Lake in the deepest part of the cave. The thin rafts float on the surface due to surface tension before eventually sinking when they become too heavy or when the pool is disturbed. Calcite rafts which litter the floor of some dry areas of the cave are evidence that these passages were once flooded too.

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