Quartz

South Ysthie07

This is a piece of quartz embedded in a standing stone at South Ythsie Stone Circle.

Quartz was used extensively by the builders of these circles, as it glows in moonlight. Most of the stone circles in Aberdeenshire are focused on the moon’s movements, and the interior of the circles was often scattered with crushed quartz fragments. In a world with no artificial light, it must have been a stunning sight.