The NSS Bulletin - ISSN 1090-6924
Volume 41 Number 1: 27-30 - January 1979
A publication of the National Speleological Society

Stalactites and Helictites of Marcasite, Galena, and Sphalerite in Illinois and Wisconsin
Stewart B. Peck

Abstract

Iron, lead, and zinc sulfide minerals (marcasite, galena, and sphalerite, respectively) exist as stalactites and helictites in caves encountered during mining activities in the Upper Mississippi Valley lead-zinc mining district of Illinois and Wisconsin. The larger specimens that grew upwards from the floors of the mineralized caves have been called stalagmities; they are more properly called stalactites, because of their central feeder canals and mode of growth. Although rare, these should be included in lists of cave minerals and their growth forms.

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