Curtin scientists freeze out ice-age delivery theory for Stonehenge stones

Dr Anthony Clarke at Stonehenge
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Curtin University

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: Recent geological analysis provides the strongest evidence to date that Stonehenge’s massive stones were transported by humans rather than glacial movement during the Ice Age, effectively debunking the long-standing "glacial transport theory."
• Methodology: Researchers conducted advanced geochemical "fingerprinting" and geochronological dating on over 500 microscopic zircon crystals extracted from river sands and sediments across the Salisbury Plain, specifically looking for foreign mineral signatures that glaciers would have deposited.
• Key Data: The analysis revealed a complete absence of distinct mineral grains from the known Scottish or Welsh source rocks in the local Salisbury sediment; had glaciers moved the stones, trace minerals matching the Altar Stone (Scotland) or bluestones (Wales) would be abundant in the surrounding terrain.
• Significance: This finding firmly establishes that the transport of the six-tonne Altar Stone over 750 kilometers and the bluestones over 200 kilometers was a deliberate feat of Neolithic engineering and societal organization, likely involving complex maritime or overland trade networks.
• Future Application: The isotopic and mineral dating techniques refined in this study will be applied to other ancient monuments and artifacts globally to trace their origins and uncover prehistoric movement patterns without damaging the objects.
• Branch of Science: Geology, Geochemistry, and Archaeology.
• Additional Detail: This study follows the team's 2024 discovery which pinpointed the Altar Stone’s origin to the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland, a distance previously thought impossible for manual transport in that era.

New Curtin University research has delivered the strongest scientific evidence yet that people – not glaciers – transported Stonehenge’s famous bluestones to the ancient site. 

The study challenges one of archaeology’s most enduring debates about how the Altar Stone and other rocks got to their current position and strengthens the case for deliberate human transport. 

Using advanced mineral “fingerprinting” techniques, Curtin scientists examined microscopic grains preserved in rivers close to the historic monument around Salisbury Plain, in southern England. 

The mineral grains act as geological time capsules, revealing how sediments traveled across Britain over millions of years. 

Using world-leading equipment at Curtin’s John de Laeter Centre, the research team analyzed more than 500 zircon crystals, one of the most durable minerals on Earth. 

Lead author Dr Anthony Clarke from the Timescales of Minerals Systems Group within Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the results showed no evidence that glaciers ever reached the Stonehenge site. 

“If glaciers had carried rocks all the way from Scotland or Wales to Stonehenge, they would have left a clear mineral signature on the Salisbury Plain,” Dr Clarke said. 

“Those rocks would have eroded over time, releasing tiny grains that we could date to understand their ages and where they came from. 

“We looked at the river sands near Stonehenge for some of those grains the glaciers might have carried, and we did not find any. That makes the alternative explanation – that humans moved the stones – far more plausible.” 

Dr Anthony Clarke collecting samples
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Curtin University

Dr Clarke said how humans may have moved the stones remained a mystery. 

“Some people say the stones might have been sailed down from Scotland or Wales, or they might have been transported over land using rolling logs, but really we might never know,” Dr Clarke said. 

“But what we do know is ice almost certainly didn’t move the stones.” 

Study co-author Professor Chris Kirkland, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin, said the findings highlight the power of modern geochemical tools to resolve long-standing historical questions. 

“Stonehenge continues to surprise us,” Professor Kirkland said. 

“By analyzing minerals smaller than a grain of sand, we have been able to test theories that have persisted for more than a century.   

“There are so many questions that can be asked about this iconic monument — for example, why was Stonehenge built in the first place? 

“It was probably used for a wide variety of different purposes, like a calendar, an ancient temple, a feasting site. 

“So, asking and then answering these sorts of questions requires different sorts of data sets and this study adds an important piece to that bigger picture.” 

The findings follow another major Curtin-led discovery in 2024, identifying a Scottish origin for the central six-ton ‘Altar Stone’ rock at the heart of Stonehenge, further reinforcing the view Neolithic builders sourced and transported the iconic stones deliberately and over vast distances. 

Published in journal: Communications Earth and Environment

Title: Detrital zircon–apatite fingerprinting challenges glacial transport of Stonehenge’s megaliths

Authors: Anthony J. I. Clarke, and Christopher L. Kirkland

Source/Credit: Curtin University | Laura Thomas

Reference Number: es012226_01

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