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Howe Caverns: A Photo Tour

By Kim Knox Beckius, About.com

5 of 10

The Pipe Organ

Howe Caverns Pipe Organ Picture

Howe Caverns' Pipe Organ is composed of stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone.

© 2005 Kim Knox Beckius
My favorite formation deep within Howe Caverns is known as The Pipe Organ. If you look carefully, you can see that the organ's "pipes" are made up of stalagmites and stalactites that have grown together. The organ is coated with a layer of glistening flowstone, which is formed as limestone-laden water trickles down the cavern walls.

The Pipe Organ is intriguing to view, but it's even more fascinating to hear. By humming into the "keyboard" under a canopy-like rock across from the formation, you can create a resonating sound within The Pipe Organ. Souvenir hunters of yesteryear who broke off stalactites exposed natural holes in the formation that create this musical effect.

By the way... don't try to take a souvenir of your own. You'll be warned at the outset of the tour that touching the cave's formations is a big no-no. That's because cave formations undergo a process of continual natural growth that can be inhibited if disturbed.

Kim Knox Beckius
Guide since 1998

Kim Knox Beckius
New England Travel Guide

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