Abstract
Sarsens are somewhat enigmatic rocks present in southern England, mainly scattered as boulders of metric dimensions across the Chalk uplands of Wiltshire and Dorset. They are remnants of mid-Cenozoic silcretes and the majority originated due to silicification of primary fluvial and lacustrine deposits, in an environment typified by low relief and general geomorphic stability. The vast majority of sarsens does not occur in situ which limits their value as palaeomorphological indicators. In-valley boulder trains are the most spectacular natural occurrences of sarsens and a few examples from the Marlborough Downs and Dorset Chalklands are presented in more detail. They are interpreted either as a result of solifluction transport from the interfluves and slopes towards the valley floors under periglacial conditions or as remnants of drainage-line silcretes inherited from the mid-Cenozoic. Sarsens were extensively used by Neolithic societies and the famous megalithic structures of Stonehenge, Avebury and others are built of huge sarsen blocks.
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I am grateful to Filip Duszyński who executed all line diagrams accompanying this chapter.
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Migoń, P. (2020). Sarsens—The Maker of Upland Scenery of Southern England: From Mid-Cenozoic Gravel Plains to Neolithic Landscapes. In: Goudie, A., Migoń, P. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of England and Wales. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38957-4_18
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