Student 1: The pale columns in the cavern are dripstone. Groundwater saturated with dissolved calcium carbonate seeps from the ceiling; as carbon dioxide degasses from each drop, calcite precipitates, building stalactites downward and stalagmites upward until the two meet in a column. Growth needs flowing water along open drip paths, so the visible bands record wetter and drier seasons.

Student 2: The columns are evaporite deposits. Standing pools of mineral-rich water slowly evaporated in the dry cave air, leaving gypsum that grew only upward from the floor. No dripping is involved; the smooth outer sides record crystallization from a shrinking pool, and the internal bands mark successive cycles of flooding followed by evaporation, not seasonal drips.