Quartz on graves

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Mr Hamhead M
Mr Hamhead Aug 22, 2006 23:42:39
Replying to The Eternal

A few years ago...and possibly still...you use to be able to buy two lumps of quartz in tacky rock shops down here in Cornwall...if you knocked them together for a while the things would glow in the dark.

We soon found out the quartz on graves was the same stuff..and saved ourselves at least 60p!

..or am I going mad?

Mr H

W wideford
wideford Aug 23, 2006 09:49:44
Replying to Mr Hamhead

1907 Notes on cremation mounds above Burn of Langa Dee in Orkney :-
" in "Langadae" , Yesnabie, the place of crematory has been marked or sectioned or divided off... by marchstones in the ground. The late W.Allan dug up some of these "aesir knowes" at Langadae some years ago - every seperate burning or cremation was distinctly discernible ... The burn or water courses have been conducted in a meandering manner about each mound. On each of these mounds there is and was a lump of white quartz - locally called hael-stone... "

M Martin
Martin Aug 23, 2006 12:07:13
Replying to Mr Hamhead

Nah, you're not going mad ;)
It's all to do with piezoelectricity;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectric

Cheers,
Martin