Deterioration of Marble. A Retrospective Analysis of Tombstone Measurements in the New York City Area

摘要

A data base of tombstone thickness and depth of emblem inscription at Veterans Administration cemeteries has been compiled by New York University. A subset of measurements for two cemeteries in the vicinity of New York City was selected for analysis in this study. For comparable meteorological conditions, different weathering rates of fine grain marble tombstones were observed for the two cemeteries. Tombstones in the Cypress Hills cemetery, which is located within an industrial area, were observed to have higher rates than similar stones in the semi-rural area of the Long Island cemetery. By using a retrospective air quality model, which is described in another publication, to predict SO2 concentrations in New York City from 1880 to 1980, concentration trends of SO2 were estimated for both cemeteries. A linear relationship was found to exist between the weathering rates and estimated SO2 concentrations. A value of 10 mm per century per ppm of SO2 was derived as the best estimate for the weathering coefficient of fine grain marble for the New York City area.