Petrological and geochemical characterisation of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge

A groundbreaking analysis reveals that the sarsen stones at Stonehenge, forming its iconic architecture, are highly pure groundwater silcretes with a chemical composition of 99.7% SiO2. Using advanced petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical techniques on samples from a central trilithon stone (Stone 58), researchers identified distinct quartz cement growth zones and a unique trace element signature linked to Mesozoic host sediments with Mesoproterozoic origins. This study provides the first comprehensive characterization of sarsen stones directly sourced from Stonehenge, confirming that their chemistry is representative of 50 out of 52 remaining sarsens, offering new insights into the geology and provenance of this Late Neolithic monument.

Nash, D. J., Ciborowski, T. J. R., Darvill, T., Parker Pearson, M., Ullyott, J. S., Damaschke, M., Evans, J. A., Goderis, S., Greaney, S., Huggett, J. M., Ixer, R. A., Pirrie, D., Power, M. R., Salge, T., & Wilkinson, N. (2021). Petrological and geochemical characterisation of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge. Plos One, 16(8), e0254760. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254760