Mercer Caverns Gallery: Cave Twins

The "Cave Twins", or "Twin Dwarfs", are the only formations in the Caverns which you are allowed to touch. A byproduct of over 100 years of human contact is the accumulation of these "skin oils" which have caused the formation to take on a brown tint, while also preventing continued growth. The oils cause the mineral laden water to bead up and roll off of the formation, preventing the necessary deposit of minerals for its continued development.

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