Stalagmites adhere to a single mathematical rule

Stalagmites all adhere to a mathematical rule, scientists have discovered after creating equations showing how the dramatic mineral formations develop into different shapes.

- SKYLER WARE

The new mathematical descriptions could help scientists extract more accurate data about past climate conditions, the researchers noted in their study. “It turns out that the rich diversity of stalagmite shapes can be explained by one simple parameter,” said Piotr Szymczak, a physicist at the University of Warsaw. “This is a rare case where the beauty we see in nature corresponds directly to a clean mathematical law.”