Shapes of ideal stalagmitesSzymczak, Piotr (Avtor) Ladd, Anthony J. C. (Avtor) Lipar, Matej (Avtor) Pekarovič, Dean (Avtor) geomorphologyphysicskarststalagmitesStalagmites are isolated columns of calcium carbonate growing on a cave floor; theirgrowth is driven by the constant dripping of supersaturated solutions from the roofof the cave. In this paper, we derive a closed-form expression for the shape of asteadily growing stalagmite. Our analysis gives rise to three distinct shapes, all of themobservable in nature, with the shape characterized by a single dimensionless parameter.Transitions between different shapes occur at a specific value of this parameter, withadditional selection rules determining the shape and size of stalagmites evolving underspecific cave conditions. Our theory shows that the stalagmite shape influences the 13Cisotope shifts, which are an important source of paleoclimatic information.20252026-04-20 09:53:29Neznano29050sl