Speleothems

The speleothems, from the Greek spelleo (=cavern) and thema (=deposit), are mineral formations that occur in caverns, for example stalactites, stalagmites, columns, curtains and innumerable other typologies. Their forms, colors and dimensions depend mainly on the grotto's morphology, the kind of mineral deposited and the depositing mechanisms (dripping, drainage, etc).

These formations, which might present both delicate and fragile gypsum flowers or gigantic mineral structures, ornate the cavities, increasing their tourist and sometimes religious potential, due to the similarities, in the popular imagination, of some speleothems to sacred or zoomorphic images. Their richness in speleothems puts many Brazilian caverns among the most beautiful in the world.