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Heritage
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Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation
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Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 11904

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Patrizia Santi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate, Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
Interests: stones heritage; archaeometry; ancient building geomaterials; archaeological stone artifacts; ornamental stones; provenance and use; deterioration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit research manuscripts to the Special Issue “Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation”. According to the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO 1972), it is not possible to separate geological heritage and cultural/building heritage. Geoheritage encompasses the global and local features of geology at all scales of intrinsic importance, such as geosites and geoparks, or culturally important sites offering information or insights into the evolution of the Earth. Moreover, the study of building and ornamental stones used in different historical periods represents one of the main approaches useful to combining geology and cultural heritage within urban environments. Following the principle that geoheritage and the promotion of geological values includes buildings, monuments and other man-made features, it is possible to recognise and map the used stones, which allows urban traits to be identified and differentiated as valuable assets. In addition, geohazards (i.e., seismic activities, slope instabilities, subsidence) as a geological source of danger could be taken into account to prevent or mitigate damage to tangible, as well as intangible heritage.

This Special Issue aims to collect studies exploring relationships among geo/cultural heritage, the complexity of geological processes and geoconservation. The link between geoheritage and the natural stones used for buildings will be emphasized. One of the main goals is the improved fruition of geological and cultural heritage, as well as increasing knowledge on the widespread use of geomaterials over historical periods that span a significant time—hence, their designation as heritage stones. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: geoheritage sites, building and ornamental stones, monuments, urban sites, conservation, geohazards in cultural heritage, and management and sustainable development in stone heritage.

Dr. Patrizia Santi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geoheritage
  • geosites
  • geomaterials
  • building and ornamental stones
  • provenance
  • archaeometry
  • conservation
  • geohazards in cultural heritage

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 5579 KiB  
Article
Compatibility Assessment in the Replacement of Damaged Sandstone Used in the Cathedral of Huesca (Spain)
by María Pilar Lapuente Mercadal, José Antonio Cuchí Oterino and Luis Francisco Auqué Sanz
Heritage 2024, 7(2), 896-912; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7020043 - 11 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1870
Abstract
In order to manage problems arising from rainwater/rock interaction in Miocene sandstones (calcareous litharenites) widely used in various monuments of the Ebro Valley (NE of Spain), a survey has been conducted with particular application to the building and architectural decorative materials of the [...] Read more.
In order to manage problems arising from rainwater/rock interaction in Miocene sandstones (calcareous litharenites) widely used in various monuments of the Ebro Valley (NE of Spain), a survey has been conducted with particular application to the building and architectural decorative materials of the Cathedral of Huesca. Once the current state of decay was diagnosed and the processes of alteration (enhanced by certain intrinsic factors and their particular exposure to the environmental conditions) were detected, a pre-restoration experimental assay was conducted. On the one hand, to propose the best stone replacement, this study evaluates the compatibility of the available sandstones in the local market based on their intrinsic features, especially those related to hydric behaviour. Once the most suitable sandstone was selected, pore size distributions were determined along with accelerated ageing cycles to show the importance of selecting properly the potential replacement sandstone. In a second step, to determine the effectiveness and long-term efficacy of four water-repellent products, several on-site and laboratory tests were performed. From the experimental results obtained, remedial works have been proposed which will be useful not only for the restoration programme of this monument, but also for other emblematic architectural Heritage in the Ebro Valley. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation)
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17 pages, 22444 KiB  
Article
Provenance of Neolithic Stone Artefacts through Minimally Invasive or Absolutely Non-Destructive Petroarchaeometric Investigations: Some Cases from Calabria (Southern Italy)
by Pasquale Acquafredda, Vincenzo Festa, Francesca Micheletti and Annamaria Fornelli
Heritage 2024, 7(2), 621-637; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7020030 - 28 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1851
Abstract
In the present work, more than one hundred and thirty lithic artefacts rediscovered in several archaeological sites dating from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages from Calabria (Southern Italy) were petroarchaeometrically characterised through minimally invasive techniques. In more detail, 110 specimens were [...] Read more.
In the present work, more than one hundred and thirty lithic artefacts rediscovered in several archaeological sites dating from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages from Calabria (Southern Italy) were petroarchaeometrically characterised through minimally invasive techniques. In more detail, 110 specimens were found in the Grotta della Monaca site (Sant’Agata di Esaro), and the other 23 belong to a collection kept in the Museo Nazionale Preistorico ed Etnografico “Luigi Pigorini” (Roma), coming from several localities (Longobucco, Spezzano della Sila, Cicala, Gimigliano, Roccaforte del Greco, and Bova). For preservation needs, 2 small axes in polished stone and 2 obsidians collected from Grotta della Monaca were analysed by absolutely non-destructive techniques. Optical and electron microscopic investigations, sometimes integrated with wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction spectrometry, allowed us to ascertain that the source area of all the lithic tools was in Calabria, except for obsidians, which come from the island of Lipari (Messina, Southern Italy). For a small number of particularly favourable cases, it was possible to define with great precision the outcrop area of the used rocks given their textural and mineralogical features. The specific source area contained a pickaxe originating from Cetraro–Fuscaldo metabasalt (lawsonite–albite facies) outcrops and two small axes in polished stone, one derived from migmatitic metapelites from Palmi and the other from meta-ultramafic rocks from Curinga. The choice of the used lithologies, harder or softer, had to be linked to the use that humans had to make of the lithic artefacts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation)
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13 pages, 5171 KiB  
Article
Siliceous Sandstones Used in Local Khmer Temples in Battambang, Ta Keo, and Kampong Cham Provinces, Cambodia
by Etsuo Uchida and Yoshimitsu Kobayashi
Heritage 2024, 7(2), 608-620; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7020029 - 27 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1605
Abstract
Siliceous sandstones used in Khmer temples such as the Prasat Basset, Wat Ek Phnom, and Phnom Banan temples in Battambang Province, Phnom Chisor and Ta Prohm temples in Ta Keo Province, and Wat Nokor Bachey temple in Kampong Cham Province in Cambodia were [...] Read more.
Siliceous sandstones used in Khmer temples such as the Prasat Basset, Wat Ek Phnom, and Phnom Banan temples in Battambang Province, Phnom Chisor and Ta Prohm temples in Ta Keo Province, and Wat Nokor Bachey temple in Kampong Cham Province in Cambodia were investigated in this study to determine the supply source of the siliceous sandstones used in these temples. Chemical composition analyses and magnetic susceptibility measurements were conducted for the sandstone blocks used in these temples. Siliceous sandstone is the primary construction material in the investigated temples, except for the Phnon Chisor (bricks). Two types of siliceous sandstone, pale brown and red, were found. Pale brown siliceous sandstone was used for the construction of all the investigated temples. In contrast, red siliceous sandstone was found only in the Wat Ek Phnom, Prasat Basset, and Phnom Banan temples. It is suggested that the pale brown siliceous sandstone originated from the Phra Wihan Formation within the Khorat Group. Based on the chemical composition analysis, the pale brown siliceous sandstone in the Ta Prohm temple at Tonle Bati and the Wat Nokor Bachey temple may have been sourced from the lower level of the Phra Wihan Formation. In contrast, the pale brown siliceous sandstone used in the Prasat Basset, Wat Ek Phnom, Phnom Banan, and Phnom Chisor temples was likely sourced from the upper level. The origin of the red siliceous sandstone is proposed to be from the Sao Khua Formation, which is situated above the Phra Wihan Formation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation)
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28 pages, 35017 KiB  
Article
Historical Use of Travertine in the Tuscan Architecture (Italy)
by Silvia Rescic, Fabio Fratini, Oana Adriana Cuzman and Barbara Sacchi
Heritage 2024, 7(1), 338-365; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7010017 - 12 Jan 2024
Viewed by 3621
Abstract
The landscape of an area is not only made up of natural elements but also of man-made elements represented by civil and agricultural artefacts and much more. These elements used to blend aesthetically and harmoniously with the landscape itself thanks to the use [...] Read more.
The landscape of an area is not only made up of natural elements but also of man-made elements represented by civil and agricultural artefacts and much more. These elements used to blend aesthetically and harmoniously with the landscape itself thanks to the use of local building materials. Particularly, this contribution examines the use of the travertine in the architecture of the Tuscany region from the Etruscan time to the contemporary age. In Tuscany, travertine is a remarkable example of an identity stone of the territory, so rich in thermal springs that favoured the formation of large deposits of this stone widely used in public and private buildings both in interior design and urban furnishing. The work was carried out through a survey in the Tuscan territory and collection of bibliographic information on the architectural web sites. The survey made it possible to collect a photographic documentation and to assess the state of conservation through the empirical observation of the morphologies of decay when present. Indeed, this stone material in the Mediterranean climate, which characterises Tuscany, shows a good durability against atmospheric agents but may be affected by a chromatic alteration that tends to give the surfaces a greyish appearance. This aesthetic issue is more evident in the Tuscan travertine due to is classic whitish colour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation)
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Review

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15 pages, 1659 KiB  
Review
The Value of Natural Stones to Gain in the Cultural and Geological Diversity of Our Global Heritage
by Dolores Pereira
Heritage 2023, 6(6), 4542-4556; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6060241 - 28 May 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2271
Abstract
The use of stone to build shelters was an important step in terms of ensuring buildings’ durability and security in pre-historic times. It was also an acknowledgment of power and grandeur when societies demonstrated their respect for their leaders and gods by building [...] Read more.
The use of stone to build shelters was an important step in terms of ensuring buildings’ durability and security in pre-historic times. It was also an acknowledgment of power and grandeur when societies demonstrated their respect for their leaders and gods by building stone monuments. For this reason, cathedrals, churches, and other magnificent religious monuments were built around the globe; however, the importance of the stone used in their construction itself is not sufficiently appreciated as the key factor ensuring the endurance of these historic buildings. While Western countries have long used iconic buildings to promote their heritage and advance in other socio-economic aspects, including tourism, other regions are yet to take full advantage of this outlook, even though their monumental structures may be equally impressive. Those important monuments are built of stone, which were referred to as Heritage Stones by some research groups, and their recognition would showcase the cultural and geological diversity of the world. However, there are many stones of heritage importance from geographic areas that are under-represented in the scientific literature and the work of research groups. This paper presents a review of the degree of geographical diversity in the recognition of stones and their heritage value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Geoheritage and Heritage Stones Conservation)
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