Are Stalactites Evidence That Caves Are Young?

“One day I saw an open carport that wasn’t that old. It had a stalactite on the cement roof. Couldn’t that prove that caves are not millions of years old?”

Hi, Millie!

Yes, you are right! You seeing stalactites on the cement roof of the carport, that wasn’t very old, is one way you can know that caves and stalactites are not millions of years old.

Some scientists believe caves formed slowly over hundreds of thousands of years—maybe even millions of years, with water slowly dripping through and creating the caves. But today, more geologists are beginning to see that caves can form quickly, especially with catastrophic events like Noah’s flood.

Stalactites and stalagmites are formed when water carries minerals, like calcite, and transports them through pores or fractures in rocks. As the water evaporates, the minerals remain, looking milky white and forming icicle-like columns. Scientists know from experiments that stalactites and stalagmites can form quickly, but it depends on the amount of water and minerals that seep into a cave.

Dave Bunnell / Under Earth Images, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

If you’re interested in caves, caving, and cave geology and want to learn more, there’s a fun short story on the Kids Answers website called “A Case in the Caverns” that talks about this too. And there’s a super fun adventure movie on Answers TV called Buddy Davis’s Extreme Caving. Also on Answers TV, you can research how long it takes caves to form with Lily the Leaellynasaura on Lily’s Lab, Season 3, Episode 12!

Thanks for your question!

Keep asking questions and seeking answers!

Do you have a question about the Bible? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. We’d love to hear from you!