Bent Straw
Description:
Two small limestone formations in Carlsbad Caverns known as soda straws. These thin icicle-like formations are hollow, and are the precursors of actual stalactites. Over time, the hollow interior of the straw fills with limestone and the base thickens to form a stalactite. The interesting point about this formation is that one of the straws is fairly straight, but the other is bent to the right. This was caused by the action of air currents during the formation of the bent straw, which push each drop of water slightly to the side as it falls, curving the straw in the direction of the air current. This indicates that these two straws formed at different times, and that the air current was only present during the formation of the bent straw.
