Click on the picture to enlarge
This picture of the inner (upper) part of the Rhosyfelin dig 2012 shoes a very steep bank of litter or broken stone accumulated to quite a high level on the rock face, with no clear organization or arrangement of stones. Entirely natural, as far as I can see. What is more interesting is the broken stones which we can still see in position ABOVE the cliff, with the turf tumbling down over them. Most of them are lying flat, rather than being on edge -- as we would expect if they have come down from higher up, moving down and over the little cliff face under the influence of gravity.
This reinforces my view that many of the stones now exposed on the floor of the dig have not been levered from the cliff face but have come down from the crags above. Many of them have simply accumulated as scree -- other stones might have slid down over snowbanks, since this gully is a perfect place for snowbanks to accumulate during periods of cold climate.
Brian you write,
ReplyDelete“This reinforces my view that many of the stones now exposed on the floor of the dig have not been levered from the cliff face but have come down from the crags above. Many of them have simply accumulated as scree -- other stones might have slid down over snowbanks, since this gully is a perfect place for snowbanks to accumulate during periods of cold climate.”
Following your logic, isn't it plausible the area at Garn Turne could also have been covered by snow fields and the 80 ton capstone to have “ slid down over snowbanks” from the outcrops higher up? And when the snow melted this huge stone to have been gently deposited over one of the many stone groups already on the ground?
Kostas
Brian 'many of the stones' what about the others????
ReplyDeleteEspecially the size and orientation of the proto-orthostat.
You must admit that you are very unlucky in its size, shape and relationship to the rock face.
However it is good that you have been able to see all the rock for yourself and can comment from first hand potentially balancing the anthropomorphophiles.
M
Maybe I should have said "all of the stones" -- but I was covering for the fact that some of them might have fallen from the cliff face rather than from above it. On balance, I am more convinced by the "falling down" scenario than by the "falling sideways" scenario. I'm not bothered by the location and orientation of the "proto-orthostat" (horrible term) -- and have seen many very large stones in my time that have come off cliff faces and have slid down snow banks such as MUST have been present in this location during snowy episodes.
ReplyDelete