Correcting the Lithological Identification of Buried Bluestone Stumps 32d and 32e at Stonehenge

Bevins et al (2025) is mainly noted for its forensic examination of the Newall Boulder and its confirmation that Glacial Transport played no part in transporting the bluestones to Stonehenge. However there is another research item within it which may be overlooked.  

Excavation of cutting C45 in the east sector of the site. Professor Atkinson (kneeling by Bluestone stumps 32d and 32e) examines a find

Acknowledgement and Citation

This standalone research extraction is derived directly from the following source, which provides the primary data, analysis, and evidence discussed herein:

Bevins, R.E., Pearce, N.J.G., Ixer, R.A., Scourse, J., Daw, T., Parker Pearson, M., Pitts, M., Field, D., Pirrie, D., Saunders, I., Power, M., 2025. The enigmatic ‘Newall boulder’ excavated at Stonehenge in 1924: New data and correcting the record. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 66, 105303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105303.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X25003360)

All interpretations, evidence, and conclusions presented below are based on this paper, with specific references to its sections, figures, and supporting data. This updated version integrates historical context from prior publications by Bevins and Ixer (and co-authors), tracing the evolution of identifications for Stones 32d and 32e. These earlier works progressively linked rhyolitic debitage to potential parent monoliths, shifting focus from 32e (suggested in 2011) to 32d (confirmed in 2015 onward), culminating in the 2025 correction.

Introduction

The Stonehenge monument includes several buried stumps of bluestones, which are smaller megaliths distinct from the larger sarsen stones. Among these, the stumps designated as Stones 32c, 32d, and 32e—located in the bluestone circle between upright bluestones 32 and 33—have been subject to historical misidentification (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). Originally excavated by Richard John Copland Atkinson in 1954, these stumps were described in Atkinson's publications (1956, 1979) as follows:

• Stone 32c: altered volcanic ash,
• Stone 32d: spotted dolerite,
• Stone 32e: rhyolite.

This identification has been perpetuated in subsequent literature, including plans by Thorpe et al. (1991), Williams-Thorpe and Thorpe (1992), and Cleal et al. (1995), leading to ongoing confusion (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). Recent re-examination of photographic evidence from Atkinson's 1954 excavation, combined with petrographic analysis, indicates that the identifications of Stones 32d and 32e were reversed. This correction aligns with the petrographical characteristics of known bluestone lithologies and supports provenancing efforts linking certain bluestones to sources in north Pembrokeshire, Wales (Bevins et al., 2025, Sections 3 and 4).

Historical Identifications in Bevins and Ixer Publications

Research by Bevins and Ixer on Stonehenge bluestones has evolved over time, initially focusing on debitage (stone fragments) and later linking these to buried stumps. Early work introduced the 'rhyolite with fabric' lithology (now Rhyolite Group C) from Craig Rhos-y-felin (formerly Pont Saeson), but did not address specific stumps (Ixer and Bevins, 2010; Bevins et al., 2012). By 2011, they tentatively suggested Stone 32e as a potential parent monolith for rhyolitic debitage, noting: "There is one buried stump at Stonehenge (stone 32e) that they say could well be from Pont Saeson (to be confirmed)" (Ixer and Bevins, 2011, as summarized in secondary sources like Pitts, 2011). This was based on petrographic matches but remained provisional.

In 2015, as co-authors with Parker Pearson et al., Bevins and Ixer shifted focus to Stone 32d, identifying it macroscopically as foliated rhyolite despite Atkinson's dolerite classification: "On the basis of macroscopic appearance, Bevins and Ixer identify SH32d... as a ‘spotted dolerite’ bluestone, even though its appearance is most unlike spotted dolerite. Its dimensions... correspond closely with those of a recess at Craig Rhos-y-felin" (Parker Pearson et al., 2015). This marked the first explicit re-identification of 32d as rhyolite, with no further emphasis on 32e in this context.

Subsequent references in later works (e.g., Bevins et al., 2023a; Parker Pearson et al., 2022a) reinforce this, but the 2025 paper provides the definitive correction using archival photos.

Evidence for Re-identification

Atkinson's excavation (Section C45) exposed the three buried stumps immediately north of Stone 33. A previously unpublished photograph from Historic England's archives (image P50774), taken during the 1954 excavation, provides visual evidence of their morphologies (Bevins et al., 2025, Figure 5a). Analysis of this photograph reveals distinct features:

• Stone 32c (northernmost stump): This appears as a darker, rounded, domed stump with a parallel fabric or parting, indicating weathering. It matches Atkinson's description of altered volcanic ash (tuff). Petrographic examination confirms it as Andesite Group A (Ixer et al., 2022, 2023; Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). Thin sections from a sample collected by Henry Cunnington in 1881 (Salisbury Museum accession 1983.20.46) corroborate this, showing a chlorite-rich volcanic tuff (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4).
• Stone 32d (central stump): This stump exhibits a strong foliation, breaking into planar sheets on a centimetre scale, forming steps and small ledges. Visible light/dark banding parallels the foliation (Bevins et al., 2025, Figure 5b). These characteristics are inconsistent with spotted dolerite (a massive, non-foliated igneous rock) but identical to foliated rhyolite from Craig Rhos-y-felin in north Pembrokeshire (Rhyolite Group C; Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). For comparison, in-situ exposures at Craig Rhos-y-felin show similar centimetre-scale foliation and fracturing (Pitts, 2022; Bevins et al., 2025, Figure 5c).
• Stone 32e (southernmost stump, closest to Stone 33): This is a massive, blocky stump with flattish facets, lacking foliation. It aligns with spotted dolerite, not rhyolite as Atkinson described. Its resistance to weathering (evident in the domed but robust shape) further supports a dolerite classification, possibly spotted (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4).

The misidentification likely stems from an error in Atkinson's recording or transcription, as the rock types are visually and texturally distinct (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). Cleal et al. (1995) compounded the issue by labelling both 32d and 32e as "spotted dolerite" in cross-sections, while marking 32c as uncertain. Other publications, such as Chippindale (1987) and Johnson (2008), often refer to these stumps generically as "bluestones" without specifying lithologies, perpetuating ambiguity (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4).

Current online resources, such as the Stones of Stonehenge website (accessed 2025), reflect the corrected identifications:

• Stone 32c: Volcanic Group A (now Andesite Group A),
• Stone 32d: Rhyolite Group A-C (now Rhyolite Group C),
• Stone 32e: Dolerite (possibly spotted).

This aligns with broader provenancing studies, where Rhyolite Group C debitage at Stonehenge matches Craig Rhos-y-felin petrographically and geochemically (Bevins et al., 2011, 2012, 2023a; Bevins et al., 2025, Sections 3 and 4).

Implications

Correcting the identifications of Stones 32d and 32e has significant implications for understanding Stonehenge's construction and the sourcing of its bluestones (Bevins et al., 2025, Sections 4 and 10). Stone 32d, as foliated rhyolite, likely represents the parent monolith for debitage fragments, including the Newall boulder (excavated nearby in 1924 by Lt-Col Hawley; Bevins et al., 2025, Sections 2 and 4). This supports human transport from Welsh sources rather than glacial deposition, as the limited lithological variety at Stonehenge suggests selective quarrying from discrete locations like Craig Rhos-y-felin (Bevins et al., 2025, Sections 7 and 10).

The reversal also resolves discrepancies in earlier literature challenging links between Stonehenge rhyolites and Welsh outcrops (e.g., John, 2024a; Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). Future studies should prioritise direct sampling of these stumps where feasible, though non-invasive methods (e.g., portable XRF) could confirm the re-identification without disturbance (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 3.2).

Conclusions

Re-examination of Atkinson's 1954 excavation photograph and petrographic comparisons demonstrates that Stone 32d is foliated rhyolite (Rhyolite Group C) and Stone 32e is spotted dolerite, reversing their original identifications. Stone 32c remains correctly identified as altered volcanic ash (Andesite Group A) (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 4). This correction refines the bluestone assemblage inventory and strengthens provenancing ties to north Pembrokeshire, emphasising the need for critical review of historical records in archaeological geology (Bevins et al., 2025, Section 10).

References

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• stumps.html (accessed 2025).