The Ox Stones on Burbage Moor, South Yorkshire.

These are the Ox Stones on Burbage Moor, just south-west of Ringlinglow on the edge of Sheffield. The southern end of Stanage Edge is visible on the skyline on the left of the photo.

The Ox Stones are comprised of the Rivelin (aka Chatsworth) Grit (Upper Carboniferous, Namurian age) and are a compact group of residual tors resulting from periglacial (permafrost/freeze-thaw) action during the last glacial period when the Peak District was largely free of ice but still under permafrost conditions. The mushroom shape of the tors is probably a result of wind erosion during this time in the cold, dry climate, with strong winds hurling sand against the tors in a low, ground-hugging sand-blast.