Recent research into the six-tonne, 4.9-metre Old Red Sandstone slab at the heart of Salisbury Plain has challenged earlier assumptions about its origins. While an August 2024 analysis of zircon, apatite, and rutile grains linked the rock to northeast Scotland's Orcadian Basin, new tests have yet to identify a precise quarry. A follow-up international study analysed museum fragments and non-invasive on-site measurements but found no matching source rocks among the Scottish locations examined.
Key points
Researchers have failed to find a matching rock source in the Scottish field locations in…: Researchers have failed to find a matching rock source in the Scottish field locations investigated so far.
The precise quarry site of the massive prehistoric monolith remains an unresolved scienti…: The precise quarry site of the massive prehistoric monolith remains an unresolved scientific mystery.
Longstanding historical beliefs that the central stone originated alongside the Welsh blu…: Longstanding historical beliefs that the central stone originated alongside the Welsh bluestones have been largely overturned.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
It is surprising how the stonehenge, one of the most recognisable and famous prehistoric monuments, still holds its secrets. One such secret it is hiding is of a six-tonne rock, ironically.
For more than a century, scientists have been trying to work out where one particular stone at Stonehenge came from. The Altar Stone, which lies partly buried at the centre of the monument, has had geologists looking across Britain for answers. A
discovery in 2024 published in Natureseemed to have finally solved the mystery, pointing towards northeast Scotland. However, a new study published
published in the Journal of the Geological Society on November 5, 2026, has complicated things again. Researchers have found no matching rock source in the Scottish locations they investigated, leaving the stone's origins uncertain.
The mystery of Stonehenge
Situated on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, the Stonehenge has stood for thousands of years, attracting archaeologists, historians and curious visitors alike. Its construction began around 3000 BC, with several additions and changes made over the next two millennia.
Excavations in southern Siberia's Uyuk Valley have revealed preserved plant remains and human tissue linked to ancient nomadic Scythians. The discoveries push back the timeline of psychoactive cannabis consumption by at least 300 years beyond earlier records from China. However, forensic toxicologists caution that environmental contamination in the burial could account for the chemical traces found on the human remains.
Advanced linguistic capabilities provide individuals with the mental tools to construct intricate interpretations, invent imagined replies, and dissect subtle conversational nuances. However, this cognitive proficiency often backfires by keeping unresolved dilemmas active and trapping articulate thinkers in unproductive mental loops rather than generating real-world solutions. Psychologists emphasize that distinguishing between constructive planning and circular brooding is essential for emotional well-being.
Researchers have confirmed the Cova de la Font Major cave in Catalonia holds one of the largest Paleolithic art assemblages on the Iberian Mediterranean coast. The markings long escaped detection because uneven rock walls and decades of modern graffiti masked the ancient incisions. This find fundamentally transforms archaeological perspectives on northeastern Spain, an area formerly assumed to lack significant Ice Age art.