Indiana Caverns the calcium carbonate precipitates out of the water. The calcium carbonate, in the form of the mineral calcite, a solid, crystallizes onto the bottoms and sides of existing stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, and sheets of flowstone to grow the formations over time. Other minerals are brought into the cave by flowing of water to create white, red, tan, and gray colors on the formations and walls. St. Louis Limestone is primarily made of calcite, but is also known to contain magnesium sulfate, manganese dioxide, ferric oxide, gypsum, dolomite, and aragonite. On the show tour, deposits of calcite, manganese dioxide, and ferric
Calcium carbonate caves. Two hydrated phases of calcium carbonate, monohydrocalcite, CaCO·HO and ikaite, CaCO·6HO, may precipitate from water at ambient conditions and persist as metastable phases. In contrast to the open equilibrium scenario above, many swimming pools are managed by addition of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO) to about 2 mM as a buffer, then control of pH through use of HCl, NaHSO, NaCO, NaOH or chlorine formulations that are acidic or basic. In this situation, dissolved inorganic carbon (total inorganic carbon) is far from equilibrium with atmospheric CO. Progress towards equilibrium through outgassing of CO is slowed by (i) the slow reaction HCO