The three types of formations we have in the caverns are stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone. These are all made of calcite. Calcite is formed when ground or surface water seeps down through the earth and through organic material such as dead and rotting vegetation. Here, the water picks up carbon dioxide to form a carbonic acid. The acid dissolves the limestone as it filters down through the cracks in the layers of rock. When it reaches the caverns, the carbon dioxide escapes from the water and leaves some of the dissolved limestone in the form of calcite first on the ceiling. This builds up to form stalactites. The water then drips off the end of the stalactite onto the floor below where it builds up to form stalagmites. What is left runs down the wall to form flowstone. It takes about 100 years to form one cubic inch of calcite. The different colors are caused by mineral impurities in calcite. Reds are from iron; yellow is from sulphur; green is from copper; blacks and grays are from aluminum salts; and pure calcite is white.

	Soda Straws A thin and hollow stalactite. Until recently, the record length for a single straw was 20.47 feet in an Australian cave. With the discovery of Kartchner, the record is now 21.16 feet.		Bacon Draperies along the ceiling of Sue's Room. Formations are thin, clear sheets of dripstone with mineral streaks, giving them the appearance of bacon.
	Columns. When a stalagmite and stalactite grow into one another, it forms a single column. The most impressive of these in Kartchner Caverns is "Kubla Khan," measuring 58 feet high.		Flowstone. Resembling a frozen waterfall, this formation is the result of layered calcite deposits.
	Stalagmite. Mineral-rich water dripping from a high ceiling splatters in a wide pattern, forming a flattened, "fried egg" stalagmite.		Kubla Khan Column. The 58-foot-high column shot from the Throne Room overlook.
	Stalagmite. Mineral-rich water dripping from a high ceiling splatters in a wide pattern, forming a flattened, "fried egg" stalagmite.		Quartz Boxwork. A network of thin, crystalline blades protruding from the bedrock.