Sarsen

Sarsen

Sarsen is a type of sandstone boulder found predominantly in southern England, particularly in the Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs. These boulders are the remnants of a cap of silcrete, a hardened sandstone layer, that once covered much of southern England. The silcrete formed during the Tertiary period, approximately 23 to 66 million years ago, when sand deposits were cemented together by silica-rich groundwater. Over time, erosion wore away the softer surrounding rock, leaving behind the more resistant sarsen boulders. Sarsen is known for its durability and has been used as a building material for thousands of years, with the most famous example being the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. The stones at Stonehenge, some weighing up to 40 tons, were transported from nearby areas and erected using sophisticated engineering techniques for the time. Sarsen has also been used in the construction of other prehistoric monuments, medieval churches, and even in modern landscaping and architecture.

Silcrete, Sandstone, Salisbury Plain, Marlborough Downs, Tertiary, Silica, Erosion, Stonehenge, Prehistoric

— John Armstrong