Grow a Stalactite
Have you ever been in a cave and seen amazing columns? There are “stalactite” and “stalacgmite”. It takes many hundreds of years for these to grow. You can make your own in just a few weeks!
Rat’s Helpful Hint
If you get a chance to visit a dark cave, remember to hide around a corner. When some passes by leap
out and shout “Boo!” Adults just love this!
You will need:
Glass jars,
baking soda or Epsom salt ( The salts take longer,
but give you more shapes),
spoon,
wool/cotton, tring ( any
thread that will soak up water),
paperclips,
water,
sauce.
What to do for this chemistry experiment
1.Fill
two clean jars with hot water.
2.Add
as much baking soda to each jas as will dissolve.
3.Mix
well so that the
soda is dissolved completely.
4.Dip
each end of the thread into the jars.
The ends must be weghed down with paperclips, popsicle ticks, or nails to keep thêm in the jars.
5.Place
a saucer between the jars to catch the drips.
6.Let
the thread hang between the jars and over the saucer.
7.Leave
the jars
for 2-3 weeks.
Will anything grow?
What happens?
A
white stalactite grows down from the wool and a stalagmite grows up from the saucer.
Why?
1.The baking soda mix is carried up through the thread. This is called Capillary action
2.The
mix then drips onto the saucer.
3.Over
the days, the dripping water evaroprates. It leaves a little of baking soda behind.
4.These
bits of baking soda make a tiny stalactite and stalagmite.
5.After months,
these join.
They make a single column like the one you see in a cave.
Fun Fact
One of the world’s tallest stalagmite is in Slovakia. Cavers found the 106.9 feet
(32.6 meters) tall stalagmite in 1964.
Mini Qiuz?
What is the difference between stalactites and stalagmites?
Mini answer: Stalactites are the long rock
columns that grow from the roof os a cave and hang down. Stalagmites look the same but they grow on the bottom of a cave and grow upward. When they meet, they make a column. They come from desposits of the mineral calcium carbonate in water that drips into the cave. To remember the difference between the two, think of this; stalactites hold tight (‘tite’) to the roof
of the cave and stalagmites might (mite) reach the roof.
Resource: collection
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