# First Stones of Stonehenge



## Garry Denke (May 3, 2004)

*Chronology of Stonehenge Construction Materials:* 

1) The oldest limestone sedimentary rocks at Stonehenge are the Early Carboniferous Period, Arundian 
Age, calcium carbonates. The Early Carboniferous Period limestone sedimentary rocks comprise the first (1st)
foreign construction material used by the Stonehenge builders. This material is approximately 340 million
years old. These rocks are locally called the Birnbeck Limestone Formation (Stonehenge Whitestones). 

2) The outcrop sedimentary rocks at Stonehenge are the Late Cretaceous Period, Santonian Age, calcium 
carbonates. The Late Cretaceous Period outcrop sedimentary rocks comprise the first (1st) local in situ 
construction material used by the Stonehenge builders. This material is approximately 85 million years old. 
These rocks are locally called the Seaford Chalk Formation (Stonehenge White Chalk). 

3) The volcanic rocks (oldest geologically) at Stonehenge are the Ordovician Period intrusive igneous 
diabases (dolerites), and extrusive igneous felsites (rhyolites) and tuffs (basic). The Ordovician Period 
igneous rocks comprise the second (2nd) foreign construction material used by the Stonehenge builders. 
This material is approximately 470 million years old. These rocks are locally called the Ordovician Volcanics 
(Stonehenge Bluestones). 

4) The oldest sandstone sedimentary rocks at Stonehenge are the Silurian-Devonian Period micaceous 
sandstones. The Silurian-Devonian Period sedimentary sandstone rocks comprise the third (3rd) foreign 
construction material used by the Stonehenge builders. This material is approximately 417 million years old. 
These rocks are locally called the Old Red Sandstone Formation (Stonehenge Coshestons). 

5) The youngest sandstone sedimentary rocks at Stonehenge are the Oligocene-Miocene (Tertiary) Period 
silicates. The Oligocene-Miocene Period sandstone sedimentary rocks comprise the fourth (4th) foreign 
construction material used by the Stonehenge builders. This material is approximately 24 million years old. 
These rocks are locally called the Reading Formation (Stonehenge Sarsens). 


*Current Locations of First Stones of Stonehenge:* 

a) 1/4 Counterscarp still in place is foreign Early Carboniferous Waulsortian facies High Tor Limestone 
(Birnbeck Limestone) Formation rock, not local Late Cretaceous Seaford Chalk Formation rock. 

b) 3/4 Counterscarp remnants are foreign Early Carboniferous Waulsortian facies High Tor Limestone 
(Birnbeck Limestone) Formation rock, not local Late Cretaceous Seaford Chalk Formation rock. Note: 3/4 
Counterscarp rebuilt with local earth soil after 3/4 Counterscarp limestone was removed and piled at 
Stonehenge mound located 100 meters East-Southeast of Heel Stone. 

c) E-SE Stonehenge mound is foreign Early Carboniferous Waulsortian facies High Tor Limestone (Birnbeck 
Limestone) Formation rock, not local Late Cretaceous Seaford Chalk Formation rock. Source: 3/4 of the 
original complete circle of Counterscarp limestone first (1st) stone hedge of Stonehenge. 

d) 56 Aubrey Hole remnants are foreign Early Carboniferous Waulsortian facies High Tor Limestone 
(Birnbeck Limestone) Formation rock, not local Late Cretaceous Seaford Chalk Formation rock. 

e) Heel Stone ditch bottom-half is foreign Early Carboniferous Waulsortian facies High Tor Limestone 
(Birnbeck Limestone) Formation rock, not local Late Cretaceous Seaford Chalk Formation rock, and not
silted in fill. Source area: Counterscarp causeway or Stonehenge mound. Elder fossils: 

_01) Aclisina 
02) Aviculopecten 
03) Bellerophon 
04) Caninia cornucopiae 
05) Chondrites 
06) Cleiothyridina roissyi 
07) Composita 
08) Conocardium 
09) Delepinea (Daviesiella) destinezi 
10) Euphemites 
11) Girvanella 
12) Hapsiphyllum (Zaphrentis) konincki 
13) Linoproductus 
14) Megachonetes papilionaceous 
15) Michelina grandis 
16) Mourlonia 
17) Murchisonia 
18) Palaeosmilia 
19) Plicochonetes 
20) Rhipidomella michelini 
21) Schellwienella cf. S. crenistria 
22) Straparollus 
23) Syringopora 
24) Zoophycos_ 


*Comment:* 

The many tons of first stones brought to Stonehenge to construct its first earthwork are of no interest to 
British authors as evidenced by no mention of them in their Stonehenge literature. Interesting to British 
authors are the second, third, and fourth types of stones hauled to Stonehenge, but not the first. Perhaps 
one day a British author will find the many tons of first stones transported by the original builders to the 
most famous ancient monument in all of Europe interesting enough to record in their Stonehenge literature. 








1) Denke, G.W. 1975. Invertibrate Paleontology of the High Tor Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) and the 
Upper Senonian Chalk (Late Cretaceous) of Stonehenge. (Arizona State University) _GDG_, 75: 1-7. 

2) Denke, G.W. 1977. Possible Source Areas of the High Tor Limestone (Early Mississippian) Fill of the 
Aubrey Holes and Heel Stone Ditch in Europe. (Arizona State University) _GDG_, 77: 1-24. 

3) Beus, S.S. 1984. Fossil Associations in the High Tor Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) of South Wales. 
(Northern Arizona University) _Journal of Paleontology_, 58: 3; 651-667. 

4) Denke, G.W. 1984. Mid-Dinantian (Waulsortian Facies) High Tor Limestone: The First Stones Transported 
to Stonehenge from the South Wales Coast. (Arizona State University) _GDG_, 84: 1-4. 

5) Denke, G. 1984. Magnetic and Electromagnetic Surveys at Heelstone, Stonehenge, United Kingdom. 
(Indiana University of Pennsylvania) _GDG_, 84: 5-42. 

6) Lees, A. and Miller, J. 1985. Facies variatian in Waulsortian buildups, Part 2; Mid-Dinantian buildups 
from Europe and North America. (Revised) _Geological Journal_, 20: 159-180. 

7) Geologist, Denke, G. 1986. The Paleontology of Stonehenge, England. (Arizona State University) _GDG_, 
86: 1-3. (State of Texas, County of Stonewall, Deed Records, Volume 393, Page 851-853)


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## Kimberly Bird (May 7, 2004)

Hi Garry, I found this quite fascinating.  I knew there were two different eras concerning the limestones, but four different periods?  When you think of it like that you have to think about how old the culture was.

Best of luck with this.

Kimberly


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## americanwriter (May 7, 2004)

Well, that's just too cool. 
I learned something new today. 
And there's a whole bunch of new words
in here I haven't read before. 
I love this forum. Oh, have I said that 
before? Must be an echo.


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