One of the stones of the Ring of Brodgar that was struck by lightning in 1980.
One of the stones of the Ring of Brodgar that was hit by lightning. The sign (legible in photograph) reads: 'Visitor Information / This stone was struck by lightning / on the 5th June 1980 causing it to / shatter. Such events may also have / occurred in earlier times, and might / account for the damaged state of / several other stones in the ring.' The Ring of Brodgar is a classic henge monument consisting of a circular rock-cut ditch 3m deep, 10m wide and with a diameter of There are two opposite entrances with causeways across the ditch. Originally the circle consisted of about 60 standing stones of which 27 remain (of these, 13 were re-erected since the mid-nineteenth century). The exact age of the monument is uncertain but it is thought to date from c2500 BC and c2000 BC, putting it towards the end of the Neolithic era. In 1999 the site was accorded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO as part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.
Size: 4061px × 2698px
Location: Ring of Brodgar, Mainland, Orkney
Photo credit: © UrbanImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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