Gibraltar and Spanish Sth Coast

A huge stalagtite (1.3m diameter) became too heavy and fell from the roof of the cave hundreds of years ago and now lies on its side cemented to the floor by more calcite deposits. In 1972 they carved a 45cm thick slice from the top of it and have it on display (top right photo). You can see the structure of the stalagtite with the rings indicating its growth and the differing amounts of rain falling over thousands of years.