Strumble-Preseli ancient communities and environment study (SPACES); Sixth report 2007-08

This paper reports the results of field surveys and geophysical surveys in the eastern Preseli Hills of Pembrokeshire, Wales, together with petrological descriptions of rock samples taken from key outcrops and quarry sites

Craig Rhos-y-felin: A Welsh bluestone megalith quarry for Stonehenge

The long-distance transport of the bluestones from south Wales to Stonehenge is one of the most remarkable achievements of Neolithic societies in north-west Europe. Where precisely these stones were quarried, when they were extracted and how they were transported has long been a subject of speculation, experiment and controversy. The discovery of a megalithic bluestone quarry at Craig Rhos-y-felin in 2011 marked a turning point in this research. Subsequent excavations have provided details of the quarrying process along with direct dating evidence for the extraction of bluestone monoliths at this location, demonstrating both Neolithic and Early Bronze Age activity

Ore petrography and geochemistry of massive sulphide deposits within the Semail ophiolite, Oman.

The pillow lavas of the Semail ophiolite complex of northern Oman contain at least three exploitable massive sulphide deposits. These deposits - at Lasail (8 000 000 t), Bayda (750 000 t) and Aarja (3 000 000 t) - are dominated by pyrite, but also contain chalcopyrite and sphalerite with minor marcasite and pyrrhotite. They overlie quartz-sulphide-chlorite stockwork zones. The deposits show a number of significant mineralogical differences. At Lasail the fundamental mineralogy is augmented by the presence of primary magnetite and hematite and the earliest pyrite generation also contains chalcopyritc-pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite-cubanite and chalcopyrite-mackinawite inclusions. Bayda has a similar mineralogy. The mineralogy of these two deposits suggests an initial temperature of the ore fluids greater than 320'C. At Aarja the ore contains significant quantities of sphalerite and bornite together with minor galena and tennantite - and the most common sulphide textures are rhythmic. By analogy with mineralogically similar deposits a temperature of ore formation of less than 275'C is suggested for Aarja. Although some variation is found in the sulphide deposits of Oman, a comparison of these with other ophiolite sulphide deposits and with sulphides formed at spreading axes shows that they share many mineralogical and textural features. Sparse data from sulphides associated with seamounts on the ocean-floor hint, however, at yet closer similarities with the Oman ore deposits

A disaggregate analysis of the evolution of job tenure in Britain, 1975-93

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:3597.9512(1711) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Sulphur isotope study of Ni-Fe-Cu mineralization in the Shetland ophiolite

No abstract available

Sulphur isotope study of Ni-Fe-Cu mineralization in the Shetland ophiolite

No abstract available

Preseli dolerite bluestones: axe-heads, Stonehenge monoliths and outcrop sources

Chemical compositions and magnetic susceptibility data were compared for 12 dolerite bluestone implements including axes, axe-hammers and battle-axes, 11 Stonehenge monoliths (chemical data only), and potential source outcrops in Preseli, South Wales. Most of the studied artefacts are of spotted dolerite, a small number being unspotted dolerite. Bivariate graphs, discriminant analysis and t-tests were used singly and in combination to show, respectively, that the implements found at sites in England are mainly similar to Stonehenge monoliths, while the implements found in Wales have a variety of compositions and are much less similar to Stonehenge monoliths. The dichotomy between English and Welsh dolerite bluestone implements could be explained by exploitation of different Preseli outcrops or erratic assemblages derived from them. A small number of spotted dolerite implements have previously been shown to have chemical compositions atypical of and marginal to Preseli, suggesting the possibility of a source of spotted dolerite outside Preseli. Previously published analytical data in combination with the new implement/outcrop comparisons presented in this paper support derivation of the majority of analysed Stonehenge monoliths at one particular outcrop within the group of four identified by Thorpe et al. 15 years ago. Analysis of all the extant bluestone monoliths at Stonehenge (now possible using non-destructive methods) would allow progress in identifying monolith outcrop sources, and in understanding the links with the bluestone axe trade