Virtual Cave

When tubular lava stalactites form, they may extrude material through their centers which accumulates beneath them. The resulting stalagmite (sometimes called a driblet spire) has a blobby appearance, much like a dripping wax candle might produce. They are typically no more than a foot high, but some over six feet high are known.

Drip stalagmites are typically wider at their base, like their limestone counterparts. But they may be more uniformly thin, as in the remarkable grouping in the second photo. In the lowest photo we see a drip stal at the base of a long tubular lava stalactite. On the right side is a very rare extruded lava formation known as a lava cockscomb.