Overview
- On June 10, 2026, a Curtin University‑led paper in the Journal of Quaternary Science reported that combined mineral‑grain dating and ice‑sheet models rule out glaciers delivering the Altar Stone directly to southern England.
- Geochemical fingerprints link the buried Altar Stone to the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland, a source roughly 400–700 kilometres from Stonehenge depending on how the route is counted.
- Model runs show glaciers could have carried material partway, possibly toward Dogger Bank in the North Sea, but Dogger Bank was submerged millennia before Stonehenge was built so ice‑only transport to Salisbury Plain is implausible.
- Researchers conclude the final leg of the journey required staged human movement, likely using a mix of overland hauling and river or coastal transfer, a process that would demand sustained planning and coordination by Neolithic communities.
- Next steps for the team, which includes UK partners such as Sheffield Hallam, the University of Sheffield, Wessex Archaeology and the University of Bristol, are targeted quarry sampling in northeast Scotland and reconstructing specific transport routes and stages.