After 60 years, scientists were able to see inside the famous monument's pillar after locating a long-lost fragment of Stonehenge.Robert Phillips, a representative from the drilling company that helped to restore Stonehenge in 1958, took the cylindrical core. It had been drilled from Stone 58. Phillips later took the core when he immigrated to the United States.Stonehenge is protected and it is no longer possible for anyone to take samples. Researchers were able to do unprecedented geochemical analyses on a Stonehenge-related pillar in 2018 after the core was returned. This new study is the result of this extraordinary opportunity.The scientists discovered that Stonehenge's tall standing stones (or sarsens) were made from rock that contained sediments formed by dinosaurs. The rock also contains grains that date back to 1.6 billion years.Sample of the core taken from Stone 58 (British Geological Survey).Related: Photos: Stonehenge walkDavid Nash (a professor of physical geography at University of Brighton, England) said that the study led author of the study, which included CT-scanning the rock and zapping it with Xrays. He also examined it under different microscopes and determined its sedimentology, chemistry.Nash stated in an email that "with the exception of thin section analyses and a few chemical methods, all the techniques we used were new both for Stonehenge as well as the study of Sarsen stones in Britain," Live Science.According to English Heritage, an organization that oversees historic monuments in England, Stonehenge's central pillar circle was built during the Neolithic period. This is approximately 2,500 years ago.English Heritage stated on its website that Sarsens were built in two concentric arrangements: an inner horseshoe, an outer circle, and bluestones [smaller memorial stones] were placed between them in a double arch.The scientists were shocked to find that Stone 58's sarsen rocks contained 99.7 percent of quartz when they looked through a microscope. Nash stated that a quartz "cement", which contained fine-to-medium-sized quartz grains, formed an "interlocking mosaic" of crystals.This made the rock more resistant, which may explain why builders used it to build their huge monument thousands of years ago.These cements are extremely strong. "I've always wondered if Stonehenge's builders could have known more about the stone properties and chose the closest, largest boulders but also those that would stand the test of the time," Nash stated.(Trustees of Natural History Museum).Above: Microscope image of the sarsen specimen showing the intricate interlocking mosaic quartz crystals that bind the rock together. Arrows indicate the outlines of quartz grains.The dinosaurs were older than usNash stated in an email that the researchers' analysis revealed clues about the ages sediments in rock.He explained that the sandy sediments from which the stone was formed were deposited in the Paleogene period, 66 million to 23 millions years ago. Therefore, the sarsens cannot be older than this.Scientists discovered that some sediments in the Sarsen Stone were older when they compared the ratios of neodymium atoms with different numbers of neutrons in their nucleus.Some grains likely came from rocks that were dated to the Mesozoic Era (252 million to 666 million years ago), and may have been trodden on by dinosaurs.Nash stated that some of the sand grains were formed up to 1 billion to 1.6 million years ago.This analysis has answered some questions about Stonehenge. However, there are still many unanswered questions, including the location of two cores from Stone 58 that were drilled during the 1958 restoration. These also disappeared from the record.Researchers reported that part of one core was discovered by workers at Salisbury Museum, England in 2019. According to the study, Adrian Green, the museum director, contacted English Heritage and reported the discovery of a part of a Stone 58 core "in a container marked '3x Stonehenge Stones From 'Treasure Box'."Scientists examined the Salisbury fragment along with the Phillips core and recorded the data in their study. The authors stated that it was not known how and when the fragment arrived at the museum.Scientists stated that the location of the third core, and the rest of core at Salisbury Museum, "is similar to unknown."These findings were published in PLOS One on August 4, 2008.Similar content:Five strange theories about StonehengeStonehenge: 7 reasons why this mysterious monument was constructed7 strange ancient cultures history forgotLive Science originally published this article. You can read the original article here.
