Researchers Study Inside of One of Stonehenge's Stones

Researchers Study Inside of One of Stonehenge's Stones

The first complete scientific study of Stonehenge's large stones has revealed some information about why their material resists damage due to weather.

Researchers recently described a series of examinations that gave a look inside one of Stonehenge's 52 large stones, known as sarsens.

The researchers studied a core sample taken from one of the sarsens, called Stone 58, during repair work in the 1950s. It was kept by its owner in the United States for many years before being returned to Britain for research in 2018.

The examination gave information about Stone 58's inside structure. The sarsens are made of stone called silcrete.

This silcrete is made of very small pieces of quartz¹ held tightly together by quartz crystals. Quartz resists damage even when exposed to wind and weather.

David Nash of the University of Brighton led the study that appeared in the journal PLoS ONE. Nash said the sarsen's inside structure "explains the stone's resistance to weathering and why it made an ideal material for monument-building."

In a remarkable² act of engineering, the sarsens were put up in Wiltshire, England, around 2500 BC. Stone 58, one of the very large sarsens at Stonehenge's center, stands about 7 meters tall, with another 2 meters underground.

The core sample is a rod of stone, about 2.5 cm in diameter and roughly a meter long. Its color is brighter than the pale-gray outside of the sarsens, which have been exposed to the weather for thousands of years.

The sample had been given to a man named Robert Phillips. Philips worked for a company that was involved in Stonehenge repair work. He took it with him with permission when he moved to the United States in 1977. Phillips decided³ to return it to Britain for research in 2018. He died in 2020.

Nash said getting the sample from Stone 58 was very important for the research. "All the previous work on sarsens at Stonehenge involved samples either excavated⁵ from the site or knocked off from random⁶ stones," he said.

Random is a term that means in a way that does not follow a plan or pattern.

The researchers used CT-scanning, X-rays, microscopes and various special methods to study very small pieces of the core sample. Such testing is not permitted for stones at Stonehenge itself.

"This small sample is now probably the most analyzed⁸ piece of stone other than moon rock," Nash said. Analyze⁷ means to carefully study.

It remains⁹ unclear when the rock was formed. However, the researchers found that some sand pieces dated from as long as 1 billion to 1.6 billion years ago.

Nash led research published last year involving the same core sample. That research showed that 50 of the 52 sarsens share a common origin about 25 kilometers from Stonehenge. Stonehenge's builders may have either pulled or moved the huge stones on circular objects known as rollers.

Nash said there are still many open questions about Stonehenge. He added, "It's a site that is still rich with possibilities for doing more research."

Words in This Story

core – n. the central part of something

rod – n. a straight, thin, and long object

origin – n. the point or place where something begins or is created; the source or cause of something

excavate⁴ – v. to uncover (something) by digging away and removing the earth that covers it

site – n. the place where something (such as a building) is, was, or will be located

1 quartz   

n.石英

参考例句：

• There is a great deal quartz in those mountains.那些山里蕴藏着大量石英。
• The quartz watch keeps good time.石英表走时准。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 excavate   

vt.挖掘，挖出

参考例句：

• They plan to excavate a large hole.他们计划挖个大洞。
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。

5 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

7 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

8 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。