Researchers are one step closer to understanding how Stonehenge was created
FILE - The world heritage site of Stonehenge is seen in Wiltshire, England on Dec. 17, 2013. The unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument was brought to the site in southern England from near the tip of northeast Scotland,in the journal Nature. It’s not clear whether the 16-foot stone was carried by boat or through land — a journey of more than 460 miles .
For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that Stonehenge’s central sandstone slab — long called the “altar stone" — came from much closer Wales. But a study last year by some of the same researchers showed that the stone didn’t match the geology of Wales’ sandstone formations. The actual source of the stone remained unknown until now.
“That geological ‘fingerprint’ isn’t repeated in any other area of sediment in the U.K.,” said Aberystwyth University geologist Nick Pearce, a study co-author. Stonehenge was constructed around 5,000 years ago, with stones forming different circles brought to the site at different times. The placement of stones allows for the sun to rise through a stone “window” during summer solstice. The ancient purpose of the altar stone — which lies flat at the heart of Stonehenge, now beneath other rocks — remains a mystery.
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