New research rules out the theory of Stonehenge Altar Stone's Northeast Scottish Origin

It is surprising how the stonehenge, one of the most recognisable and famous prehistoric monuments, still holds its secrets. One such secret it is hiding is of a six-tonne rock, ironically.For more than a century, scientists have been trying to work out where one particular stone at Stonehenge came from.

The Altar Stone, which lies partly buried at the centre of the monument, has had geologists looking across Britain for answers. A discovery in 2024 published in Natureseemed to have finally solved the mystery, pointing towards northeast Scotland.

However, a new study published published in the Journal of the Geological Society on November 5, 2026, has complicated things again. Researchers have found no matching rock source in the Scottish locations they investigated, leaving the stone's origins uncertain.The mystery of StonehengeSituated on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, the Stonehenge has stood for thousands of years, attracting archaeologists, historians and curious visitors alike.