Weathering rates of a sandstone structure in a semi arid environment: a case study of the ancient city of Pingyao (world cultural heritage), China

摘要

The values of surface recessions of sandstones in the bottom walls of the ancient World Heritage City of Pingyao were measured using a specially designed movable instrument with the precision of 0.0143 mm. Seventeen sample areas were chosen from four orientations to study the effect of weathering in this semi-arid, unpolluted environment. Each area could be sub-divided into three zones with different weathering degrees but the weathering rates were found to be highest in the south-facing and lowest in the north-facing sandstone walls. The reasons for the differential weathering are discussed and recommendations are made to reduce their effects.