2026-04-13T04:59:38Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:2117/3314862026-01-15T06:41:10Zcom_2072_1033col_2072_452950

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Navarro Ezquerra, Antonia author Gómez Gras, David Manuel author Martín Martín, Juan Diego author Rosell Amigó, Juan Ramón author Ajanaf, Taoufik author Maate, Ali author 2020 The characterization of building materials is a key tool to assess deterioration processes and improve potential restoration works of archaeological sites. The aim of this paper is to identify and characterize most important building stone used in the construction of the Roman city of Lixus (Larache, Morocco) by means of petrographic and petrophysical techniques. Based on the visual analysis of the monuments, three major building stones (i.e. lithotypes) have been identified: i) Oligocene sandstones, ii) Quaternary sandstones and iii) Quaternary conglomerates. Based on the analysis of the regional geology and exploitation marks, these three lithotypes have been recognised to crop out in the surroundings of Lixus and the quarries, presumably Roman in origin, recognized. The Oligocene sandstone is the primary building stone in Lixus as it forms and crops out extensively in the Tchemmis hill, at top of which the city is settled. The Quaternary sandstones and conglomerates, which represent nearshore deposits and eolianites, crop out along the Atlantic coast where they form part of the cliffs next to Larache. Petrographic results indicate that lithotypes differ notably in grain size, ratio of detrital to allochemical components, and the configuration of their porous system. Mechanical analysis show that the Oligocene sandstones are more resistant to compression than the Quaternary sandstones and conglomerates, the latter exhibiting relatively low compressive strength. The Oligocene sandstones, which display scarce porosity and permeability, show a hydric behaviour characterized by a very low degree of absorbing and desorbing water, likely resulting from a poor connectivity of the pore network. Contrary to the latter lithotype, the Quaternary sandstones, which exhibit very high porosity and permeability, display a hydric behaviour characterized by high degree of both absorbing and desorbing water. This is attributed to the low degree of cementation compared to porosity of this lithotype and the excellent connectivity of the porous network. Finally, the accelerated artificial aging test of the Oligocene and Quaternary sandstones do not show a significant weight loss after the accelerated artificial aging test, indicating that both are slightly affected by salt crystallization and presumably ice as well. Results indicate that the relatively fine state of conservation of the building rocks of Lixus is linked to intrinsic factors as mineralogy and petrophysical characteristics together with the favourable effect of the climatic condition of the study area. Peer Reviewed Postprint (published version) Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Edificació::Rehabilitació d'edificis Salvage archaeology Building materials Building stone Lixus Petrography Petrophysics Durability Arqueologia preventiva Materials de construcció The building stone of the Roman city of Lixus (NW Morocco): provenance, petrography and petrophysical characterization