An archaeological dig at the Hurlers, near Minions, will investigate a potential undiscovered fourth stone circle at the important site.

The ‘Reading the Hurlers’ excavation is set to begin tomorrow (September 13) and there will be an open day next Saturday, September 17.

A dig at the Hurlers in 2013 revealed a 4,000-year-old ceremonial ‘crystal causeway’ between two of the stone circles.

It was this, says Reading the Hurlers project coordinator Calum Beeson, that made him realise there was much more to learn from the geology of the stones themselves.

Together with archaeologist Emma Stockley, Calum instigated the Reading the Hurlers project, with the aim of producing a profile of the moorland granite and identifying where the standing stones of the Hurlers were originally quarried.

Historians know there were lots of Bronze Age settlements in the area and are wondering whether each location contributed a stone to the ceremonial landscape at the Hurlers – or if they were all quarried at the same place.

Volunteers from Saltash U3A’s geology group and the Caradon Amateur Geology Group have been gathering data and there have been a series of school visits. Ninety more pupils will visit this week.

Geophysical surveys in the early 1990s pointed to the existence of a fourth stone circle and with the forthcoming dig, the truth may be revealed, says Emma.