Stalagmites are regarded as the fourth pillar for studying paleoclimatology and serve as important geological carriers for paleoclimate research. In recent years, there have been few studies in China that utilize CiteSpace software for the quantitative analysis of research trends related to stalagmites. To address this gap, this study uses CiteSpace software to draw a network knowledge map, conducting a comparative analysis of Chinese and English literature. It examines research hotspots and development trends in the field of stalagmites from a perspective of bibliometrics over the decade from 2015 to 2024. The aim is to provide scholars with a valuable reference for understanding the latest research progress of stalagmite studies and to identify potential breakthroughs for future research.

The study conducted a visual analysis of the CNKI database and the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection using CiteSpace 6.3 R1. First, the data filtered and downloaded from CNKI and WOS were imported into the CiteSpace software. Next, the relevant software parameters were set. Finally, the corresponding graphs were generated. In addition, the built-in functions of the CNKI and WOS databases were utilized to conduct visual analyses of research institutions, co-authors, and cited literature, etc. This study included 360 Chinese-language papers, with the main research topics such as oxygen isotopes, the Asian monsoon, the Holocene Period, cave drip water, and the Last Glacial Period. It also included 791 English-language papers, focusing on topics such as cave monitoring, climate, variability, high resolution analysis, the East Asian summer monsoon, and the Last Glacial Period.

The conclusions are as follows: (1) In terms of research hotspots and trends, the Last Glacial Period, the Holocene epoch, and the direction of cave drip water have gradually attracted increasing attention. According to the clustering timeline, the Holocene epoch and cave drip water clusters have been relatively important research topics over the past two years and continue to maintain a high level of interest. In the analysis of emerging keywords in the stalagmite field, Chinese literature shows that the Last Glacial Period had the highest and most sustained emergence intensity, whereas in English literature, the term "last deglaciation" exhibited the highest emergence intensity. This indicates that from 2015 to 2024, research on stalagmites both domestically and internationally has increasingly focused on the "last deglaciation". (2) China is at the forefront of research in the field of stalagmites. In the knowledge map of the author collaboration network in the field of stalagmites from 2015 to 2024, three of the top five authors were from China. Similarly, in the knowledge map of the institution collaboration network, four of the top five publishing institutions are based in China. In the knowledge map of the country collaboration network, China ranked first in the number of publications in the field of stalagmites. Among the top five most cited papers in this field, the highest cited paper was by Cheng H et al., published in "Nature" in 2016. Across multiple dimensions such as co-authors, publishing institutions, publishing countries, and cited papers, China leads and holds a prominent position in stalagmite research. (3) The number of publications in both Chinese and English has been on the decline. From 2015 to 2024, the annual volume of research papers on stalagmites in the CNKI and WOS databases showed a fluctuating downward trend. This indicates that research in the field of stalagmites has gradually reached a saturation point, highlighting an urgent need for new methods, means, and impetus. From a dialectical perspective, the decrease in the number of Chinese publications may to some extent reflect the improved research quality of Chinese scholars, as an increasing number of them chose to submit their research findings to English-language journals.

The above analysis indicates that research in the field of stalagmites requires the introduction of new technologies and methods, as well as enhanced interdisciplinary cooperation, to regain vitality. The co-authors, publishing institutions, publishing countries, and cited literature from multiple perspectives collectively demonstrate that China is at the forefront of global stalagmite. In recent years, there has been a significant focus on the Last Glacial Period, the Holocene, and the direction of cave drip water. This study analyzes only the relevant literature closely related to stalagmites included in the CNKI database and the WOS Core Collection. The results of the CiteSpace analysis may be subject to debate, and there are certain limitations in the depth of the research. Nonetheless, this study aims to provide a valuable reference for scholars to comprehensively understand the latest research progress in the field of stalagmites and to identify breakthroughs for future research.