Jar Composition at Plain of Jars - Jars Composition at PDJ - HoboMaps.com - Go to Plain of Jars Info Page - - - Home

It is agreed that the jars at the Plain of Jars (PDJ) were carved from solid stone and not constructed from any type of material such as concrete.

The author's own research at Jar Sites 1, 2 & 3 indicates all jars there seem to be of sandstone or conglomerate composition. The conglomerate jars seem to be mostly of sandstone base with a few rounded pebbles embedded. We saw jars at Jar Site 16 that seem to be granite while others seem conglomerate sandstone.

Louis Gomez, a sedimentary geochemist at the University of Iowa has examined a thin section of a jar sample from Site 2 under a microscope and described the material as a natural sandstone consisting mainly of grains of quartz, potassium feldspar and muscovite mica cemented by a clay mixture.

Belgian archeologist Julie Van Den Bergh, chief technical advisor for the Lao-Unesco Safeguarding the Plain of Jars programme, is quoted as saying "Each jar is uniquely made, whether rough-hewn or smoothened, made from sandstone, granite, breccias, limestone or calcified coral."

Jar Sites Summary by Composition of Jars (from sites already cleared of UXO and open to the public)

1. Sandstone
A. Site 1 Lower (Ban Ang / Ban Hai Hin)
B. Site 2 (Ban Lat Sen / Hai Hin Salato)
C. Site 3 (Ban Xiang Di)
D. Site 52 (Ban Phakeo)

2. Conglomerate
A. Site 1 Upper (Ban Ang / Ban Hai Hin)
B. Site 23 (Ban Nam Hom / Muang Kham / near hot springs)

3. Granite
A. Site 16 (Ban Phai / Muang Khoun)
B. Ban Hin site

The results of a 2008 geologic survey of jar sites in Xieng Khouang Province are below:

- sandstone jars found at 41 sites

- granite jars found at 7 sites

- conglomerate jars found at 6 sites

- limestone jars found at 3 sites

- breccia jars found at 1 site

- 45 jar sites have jars of composition from a single type rock

- 6 jar sites have jars of composition from multiple rock types

Phonsavanh Provincial Tourism Office Pictures with Composition Info below

Other Pictures Below taken by Author