Cave popcorn, also known as coralloids, are small nodes of calcite, aragonite, or gypsum that form on surfaces in caves, especially limestone caves. [1][2] They are a common type of speleothem. [1][2]

Jul 4, 2023 · Cave Popcorn. Small, knobby growths of calcite on the cave walls are called cave popcorn. Popcorn commonly forms in one of two ways in the cave: where water seeps uniformly out of the limestone wall and precipitates calcite; or, when water drips from the walls or ceilings of the cave and the water splashes on the floor or on ledges along the walls.

Aug 1, 2017 · Cave popcorn, also known as coralloids, is made of calcite, gypsum, or aragonite deposits. They are most commonly found in limestone caves. Coralloids take the form of tiny nodes or knobs and are often formed in clusters. The size of a single nodule can be between 0.5 to 2 centimetres.

Apr 9, 2023 · Cave Popcorn refers to knobs of calcite that form where water seeps through pores in limestone, creating clusters that resemble popcorn, peas, or grapes. Cave Popcorn can be seen along the Grand Avenue and Domes and Dripstone Tour.

Apr 27, 2022 · Coralloid (or corallite or cave popcorn) is a catchall term describing knobby, nodular, botryoidal, or corallike speleothems. After stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone, coralloids are probably the most common speleothem type (Hill, 1997).

Popcorn is a common name for a very common type of coralloid. It can be recognized by its gregarious nature and knob-like shape, the latter of which it owes to its concentric layering of microcrystalline calcite. Though one of the most common of all cave formations, the origin of popcorn has been one of the more difficult to explain.

Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on their depositional history and environment. Their chemical composition, gradual growth, and preservation in …

Nov 23, 2014 · A series of bulbous cave formations known as "cave popcorn." The geode-like formation in the center developed, because, at one point, this portion was submerged in water. Water was moving on the surface, creating the smooth appearance, while the …

Popcorn forms either in air (subaerially) or within still cave pools (subaqueously). In air, it is deposited from thin, evenly distributed solution films, but these films may be products of direct seepage, surface flow, drip water splash, capillary action, or condensation.

Cave popcorn, or cave coral, is a very common cave formation. It actually comes in many sizes, shapes, and colors, but is most often found in small, knobby clusters resembling popcorn. It is considered a subcategory of a more diverse type of speleothem called a coralloid.