Odd speleothem

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Odd speleothem

Postby Rick Brinkman » Oct 5, 2006 7:38 pm

I took this picture last weekend. I THINK I know what it is, but I'd like someone else to confirm it.



Image

:thanks:
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Postby bigalpha » Oct 6, 2006 8:18 am

Rick -- I don't know much about the names, but it looks like a splattermite/cave popcorn mix. Weird that's it's so stringy looking.
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Postby Rick Brinkman » Oct 6, 2006 2:44 pm

The 'stringy' look is all along 20-30' of the wall, and it looks very strange.

No one has said anything, so I'll put my guess out there. I think it's a "U-loop", like those found in Lechuguilla. A formation with a biological, rather than minerological origin.

Anyone here that has actually seen them in Lech and can compare? Or a photo of them somewhere on the internet?
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Postby bigalpha » Oct 6, 2006 5:02 pm

Are they rigid, or are they like mucus (kinda stringy and stuff)
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Postby NZcaver » Oct 6, 2006 5:13 pm

Is it anything like this?

Image
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Postby David_Weaver » Oct 6, 2006 6:30 pm

They reminded me of those stringy things to. They are thought to be of biological origin. I don't know if it is an "official" name, but I have heard them called "snottites".

They look like they were subsequently submerged, when the corraloids formed on them.

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Postby Rick Brinkman » Oct 6, 2006 9:13 pm

nzcaver: They kind of look like that, but not nearly as defined.

These are NOT sticky. I think that if they were 'active' snottites, we would have had a very difficult time breathing.

My guess is they WERE snottites, but are now calcited over. There's a lot of weird stuff in this cave, this is just the one I was most excited about.
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