Even people in ancient days knew that the constant dripping of water could wear away the hardest rock. Geologists have since discovered that these little drops of water not only wear away rocks but form others just as hard. It takes hundreds of thousands of drops of water to wear away on millimeter of stone; but it takes millions of drops to build up the same amount.

To see water which has turned into stone one has to go into a karstic cave. The first striking sight is of stalactites and stalagmites, stone pillars that descend from the ceiling or rise from the floor. Then there is the spectacular draped effect of the rock on the ceiling and walls of the cave. All these wonders have been created by dripping water. Each drop of water contains a microscopic piece of calcium: through the constant dripping these tiny specks of calcium have turned into rock pillars of dazzling beauty.