Which outcome results when CO₂ saturation decreases inside karst stalactite formations?

💡 Explanation

Stalactite growth is driven by the Calcium Carbonate Deposition mechanism. Slow CO₂ degassing elevates HCO₃ levels; because decreased CO2 saturation affects this equilibrium, the rate of calcite deposition decreases, therefore stalactite growth slows rather than continuing unchanged or speeding up, and is clearly not simple erosion.

• Which geological process accelerates when thermokarst lakes form in arctic permafrost regions?
• Which mechanism causes tsunamis after a megathrust earthquake?
• Which process restricts nutrient upwelling within subtropical ocean gyres under stable stratification?
• Which phenomenon initiates turbidity currents along submarine fault scarps during seismic activity?
• Which outcome occurs when thawing overburden destabilizes Arctic slopes?
• Which geomorphic consequence results when a river's sinuosity increases significantly near an oxbow lake formation?