Scientists from Curtin University in Australia conducted a study to reveal the history of Stonehenge's construction. A popular theory is that the giant rocks could have been brought in by large boulders. But a new study has shown that it was humans who brought them to the relic site.
Scientists used a technique called mineral fingerprinting. They analyzed microscopic mineral grains preserved in river sediments near Stonehenge.
If glaciers passed through this area, they would leave behind a distinctive mixture of minerals that were eroded from distant landscapes. The team examined more than 500 zircon crystals, one of the hardest minerals on Earth and a reliable indicator of geologic history.
As a result, scientists have been unable to identify any evidence that icebergs ever reached Stonehenge. So, if glaciers brought rocks from Scotland or Wales to Stonehenge, they would have left clear mineral traces on the Salisbury Plain, but this trace is missing, the authors of the scientific work emphasize.
Thus, the idea that the giant stones of Stonehenge were transported by humans seems much more plausible. Exactly how this happens is unknown. The boulders may have been transported by sea or land using logs, the Communications Earth Environment report said.
Previously, a previously unnoticed ring of ancient craters was discovered around Stonehenge. Scientists say it could be Britain's largest prehistoric structure. The pits were built about 4,500 years ago.
