A geologist has disputed the widely held belief that the rounded boulders used in the ancient Irish sport of stone lifting are glacial erratics. Dr Alan Woolley, writing from Weybridge, Surrey, argues that blocks frozen in glacial ice generally retain their angular shape and are not abraded.
In contrast, he suggests that rock fragments carried by rivers or found along marine coasts are more likely to become rounded. Rolling and dragging by currents would produce the characteristically smooth boulders, cobbles and pebbles seen in the sport.
Dr Woolley's comments come in response to a letter from Professor Gray, who had previously supported the glacial origin theory. The debate highlights the ongoing scientific interest in the origins of these historic lifting stones, which have been used in strength competitions for centuries.
