How much do we know about Stonehenge? Less than we think. And what has Stonehenge got to do with the Ice Age? More than we might think. This blog is mostly devoted to the problems of where the Stonehenge bluestones came from, and how they got from their source areas to the monument. Now and then I will muse on related Stonehenge topics which have an Ice Age dimension...
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Monday, 25 January 2010
The Great Bluestone Hunt
This is the area where, I suspect, real progress is likely to be made in the coming years. The area shown in yellow is the approx area of the "Fishguard Volcanics" on the northern flank of Mynydd Preseli -- here, as I have indicated, there are complex extrusive rocks thrown out during Ordovician volcanic eruptions -- and some intrusives too. Typical rocks are rhyolites, breccias, ignimbrites, tuffs and welded tuffs -- and because some of the eruptions were in the sea, there are layers of detritus and pebble beds that look more like sedimentary rocks than igneous ones. The map is not very accurate -- there are certainly some ashes and other volcanics exposed in the coastal cliffs between Cwm-yr-Eglwys and Newport.
I wouldn't mind betting that some of the igneous fragments from the Stonehenge area will be matched up with rocks from these Fishguard Volcanic Series outcrops. Secrets out there, waiting to be discovered........
Dear Brian
ReplyDeleteFascinating blog - have only just found it. Hope you don't mind me mentioning you here.
Dan R
http://adreamofwhitehorses.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-moving-of-giant-stones.html
http://adreamofwhitehorses.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteDear Brian
Apologies if this comes thorugh twice it doesn't seem to have worked first time. Great blog. Fascinating. Hope you don't mind me mentioning it.
Dan R
You're welcome, Dan. Glad you like the site. All comments welcome -- the more ideas we bounce about, the better...... will take a look at yours too....
ReplyDelete