El deterioro de las piedras graníticas de la fachada de la Catedral de Vila Real (N de Portugal)

The cathedral of Vila Real (North of Portugal) is located in the city centre and at least four regional two-mica granites were used in its construction. A petrographic study of these granites concluded that the stones had different degrees of alterations. The identification of some physical properties of the granites –open porosity, real and apparent density, free water absorption, porometry and capillary transmission– confirms their susceptibility to degrees of weathering. A recent cleaning intervention was made and several types of deterioration were visible in the monument‚s stones, namely: granular disintegration, some thin black layers, plates, flakes and black crusts, especially in the main front exposed to SW. Granular disintegration is the most important deterioration process and is responsible for the loss of material in the most-affected stones; it is also related to the presence of small amounts of highly soluble salts such as halite and nitrates and to solar exposure.La Catedral de Vila Real (Norte de Portugal) se encuentra en el centro de la ciudad y se han utilizado, al menos, cuatro granitos de dos micas para su construcción extraídos de sus alrededores. El estudio petrográfico de estos granitos pone de manifiesto que poseen un diferente grado de alteración. La determinación de algunas propiedades físicas de los granitos –porosidad abierta, densidad aparente y real, absorción libre de agua, porometría y capilaridad– confirman los distintos grados de alteración. La catedral ha sufrido una reciente limpieza y sobre las piedras de la Catedral se observan distintas formas de alteración, sobre todo desagregación granular (arenización), escasas pátinas finas negras, desplacaciones, escamas y costras negras, especialmente en la fachada principal, expuesta al SW. El fenómeno de la desagregación granular es el más importante y es el responsable de de la pérdida de material en las piedras más afectadas. Su génesis se relaciona con la presencia de pequeñas cantidades de sales solubles, como halita y nitratos, y a la exposición al sol

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved