Showing posts with label Quartz Crystal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quartz Crystal. Show all posts

Monday, August 30

Indestructible Ancient Material

The full moon sets behind Stonehenge on April 27, 2021 in Amesbury, England. Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images.


A long lost piece of England’s Stonehenge monument is helping experts understand the mysterious prehistoric structure. 

Analysis of a core sample taken from one of the site’s massive slabs suggests that the stone’s geochemical composition may have made it uniquely well-equipped to stand the test of time.

Made from 99.7 percent quartz crystals, the stones are practically indestructible, according to a new study published in the journal Plos One.

“Now we’ve got a good idea why this stuff’s still standing there,” study co-author David Nash, a professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton, told Business Insider. “The stone is incredibly durable—it’s really resistant to erosion and weathering.”


The study was made possible thanks to a former diamond cutter, Robert Phillips, who died last year. 

He did repair work at Stonehenge in 1958, drilling into Stone 58 to help re-erect a fallen trilithon of three stones.  READ MORE