A seventh circle found hidden beneath Machrie Moor

Archaeologists have found a seventh circle at Machrie Moor on Arran, and this one is invisible: twelve pit-like anomalies buried beneath the peat, forming a ring about 28 metres across.

The Historic Environment Scotland team, led by Dr Nick Hannon, was testing survey equipment on the moor when the scans picked it up. No stones remain in the pits, so the monument was either a timber circle or standing stones later removed, with gaps suggesting it may once have held 14 posts. Several of the moor's known circles began as timber before being rebuilt in stone between 3500 and 1500 BCE.

The circles align on a notch at the head of Machrie Glen where the midsummer sun rises. Nothing was excavated, so the ground stays undisturbed and the circle stays under the peat.