Anthodite

Anthodite

Anthodites (Greek, "flower cluster") are a rare variety of speleothem (cave formation) that forms in limestone caves.

Description and chemistry

Anthodites are white and grow in flower-like clusters of narrow white aragonite crystals. Composed of calcium-carbonate, anthodites grow approximately one inch every 7,000 years. The mechanism by which anthodites form is debated. One theory, however, is that they grow in a vacuum and that they stop growing when the vacuum is broken.

The largest deposit of anthodites in the world was found in the Skyline Caverns in Front Royal, Virginia. Because of the rarity of these formations, Virginia law imposes a penalty of a $5,000 fine and two years in prison for every inch of an anthodite that is broken off.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • anthodite —    1. Radiating crystals of aragonite, mostly sharp needles 1–20 mm long. They occur sporadically in some caves but they may also be spectacularly abundant, with clean white crystals growing all over the rock and calcite surfaces. Carlsbad… …   Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology

  • Craighead Caverns — Entrance to Cavern Craighead Caverns is an extensive cave system located in Sweetwater, Tennessee. It is best known for containing the United States largest and World s second largest underground lake, The Lost Sea. In addition to the lake, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Skyline Caverns — Skyline Caverns, are a series of geologic caves and a tourist attraction located located in Front Royal, Virginia. The caverns were discovered in 1937 by a geologist from Winchester, Virginia named Dr. Walter S. Amos.Skyline Caverns are now a… …   Wikipedia

  • cave — cavelike, adj. /kayv/, n., v., caved, caving. n. 1. a hollow in the earth, esp. one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc. 2. a storage cellar, esp. for wine. 3. Eng. Hist. a secession, or a group of seceders, from a… …   Universalium

  • cave flower —    An elongate curved deposit of gypsum or epsomite on a cave wall in which growth occurs at the attached end [10].    Synonyms: gypsum flower; oulopholite.    See also anthodite; cave cotton …   Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology

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