Humans, Not Glaciers, Transported Stonehenge Rocks – New Study Confirms
Here’s a breakdown of the key data from the provided text, focusing on the origins of Stonehenge’s stones and the debate surrounding their transport:
* Researchers: Anthony Clarke and Christopher Kirkland, both geologists at Curtin university in Australia, led the study.
* bluestones Origin: The bluestones originate from the Preseli Hills in western Wales, approximately 140 miles (225 kilometers) from stonehenge. This strongly suggests people transported them.
* Altar Stone Origin: The Altar Stone,located within Stonehenge,is now believed to have come from northern England or Scotland – a distance of at least 300 miles (500 km). This possibly involved boat transport.
* The Debate: Ther’s a long-standing debate about how the stones arrived at Stonehenge.
* Human Transport Theory: The prevailing theory, supported by this new research, is that people deliberately moved the stones.
* Glacial Transport Theory: A counter-theory suggests glaciers carried the stones to the Salisbury Plain area naturally.
* Evidence Against Glacial Transport: The study found no evidence of glacial transport on the stones themselves. Also, the extent of past ice sheets in Britain is uncertain.
* Research Method: The researchers dated tiny mineral specks (zircon and apatite) in river sediments around Stonehenge to determine the age and origin of the rocks that once existed in the area.
In essence, the new research provides further evidence supporting the idea that Stonehenge was built through notable human effort in transporting stones over long distances, rather than relying on natural glacial movement.