Re: Calling wolfnighthunter | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

rocknicker Oct 19, 2005 23:05:10

Replying to David Raven

>>And what are the tell-tale signs that it's a cup, formed by man, or a natural process of weathering?!

ahhhhh... the million-dollar rock art question ;)

I think if it's got a level base inside the shape then it is more likely to be man-made. Weathering tends to be more - er - spherical (?) but then so are some classic small cups...

When up ont moors I took a pic of a basin which had clearly been produced by erosion - because the flakes of granite / crystals of quartz were still present in the bottom. All sitting in a nice pool of water. It was clear this had been created from freeze/thaw natural processes...

StoneLifter Oct 20, 2005 06:36:07

Replying to rocknicker

Do you remember me posting a picture of what I took to be a Bullaun stone, from the Knar, with the bits of quartz I'd found beside it placed in the craters ? ("I hate it when people do that"). I think the nearest granite, to Yorkshire, is at Shap.

FourWinds Oct 20, 2005 07:10:10

Replying to rocknicker

"When up ont moors I took a pic of a basin which had clearly been produced by erosion - because the flakes of granite / crystals of quartz were still present in the bottom."

Surely that just means that it's had some erosion in the last 3000 years or so. I know of conical ones, hemi-spherical ones (most bullauns are actually perfect looking hemispheres), oval ones and flat bottomed ones.