I recently visited the Cave of the Mounds, which is a limestone cave located near Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. The cave is a designated as a National Natural Landmark, which is a program that recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features of the country in both public and private ownership. As with most caves, stalactites and stalagmites are common but the cave has a number of other formations many of which are quite colorful and are the reason why the cave has long been promoted as the “jewel box” of major American caves.
The first photo shows a detail of a large flowstone formation: a small pool of water resting on the unusually colorful flowstone surface just after a water drop has hit the surface of the pool.
In the following photo stalactites hang above a flow stone formation.
Here a large stalactite reaches down towards a stalagmite.
This photo shows the joining of a stalactite and a stalagmite.
Finally, here is a “lily pad” formation. Lily pads are created when water droplets fall into a puddle and create a formation that appears to float on top of the water in the puddle.
Points of View 