The Giant Chandelier, made of ribbon stalactites, forms an awesome centerpiece in the Big Room. Stalactites which hang to the ceiling, begin as hollow “soda straws” of calcite. They form as water drips through a fissure.
Calcite is deposited around the outside of the drops in a ring. As the soda straw grows, it may become plugged, forcing water back up to the top and then down its outside, building a stalactite.