Stonehenge mystery solved as scientists tear apart centuries-old theory

The debate has centred on how the monument’s bluestones — including the six-tonne Altar Stone — arrived in southern England. Some researchers argued glaciers carried them from Wales or Scotland during the last ice age. Others believed people moved them, despite the immense logistical challenge this would have posed thousands of years ago.

To test the competing claims, Curtin scientists used a technique known as mineral “fingerprinting”, examining microscopic mineral grains preserved in river sediments around Stonehenge. These grains act as geological breadcrumbs, recording where rocks have travelled and what landscapes they have passed through.

If glaciers had swept stones across Britain and into Salisbury Plain, they would have left behind a distinctive mix of minerals eroded from distant regions. Over time, those rocks would have broken down, releasing tiny particles that could still be detected and dated today.

Using advanced equipment at Curtin’s John de Laeter Centre, the research team analysed more than 500 zircon crystals — one of the most durable minerals on Earth and a gold standard for reconstructing geological history.

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/2163468/stonehenge-mystery-solved-scientists-rule-out-glaciers