A XNUMXD model created by researchers from the Hebrew University makes it possible to accurately calculate the degree of erosion of the limestones that make up the Wall.
The Western Wall is one of the four retaining walls that surrounded the Temple Mount at the end of the Second Temple, about two thousand years ago. With a quick look at it, you can see that some of its rocks are very worn, something that could cause it to collapse in the future.
A number of researchers from the Institute of Earth Sciences of the Hebrew University, led by Dr. Simon Emanuel and Yael Levinson, created with the help of laser scans of the Western Wall a computerized XNUMXD model that allows for the precise calculation of the degree of erosion of the limestones that make up the Wall. A paper based on this research was recently accepted for publication in the journal Geology.
From this model, it became clear that the stones composed of large crystals hardly wore out, while the stones composed of very small crystals (crystals that can reach a thousandth of a millimeter) underwent very serious erosion and sometimes lost several tens of centimeters of their original thickness. This erosion weakens the wall's durability and can lead to its collapse in the future. During additional experiments, in which the researchers examined the various rocks with the help of an extremely powerful atomic microscope, it became clear that the stone crystals disintegrate because of the blockage in the rainwater that damages them.
This research can lead to an understanding of weathering processes that occur in the stones of the Wall and then try to come up with suitable solutions in order to preserve those stones - something that can help both the Wall and other ancient buildings in Israel and around the world.
Link to the news - The Hebrew University website
More of the topic in Hayadan:
The quarry from which the stones were brought to the Wall was discovered
A two-thousand-year-old testimony to the Roman siege of Jerusalem
3 תגובות
Well, then they researched and checked... and what conclusion did they reach? Because the erosion may cause its collapse in the future... When ? In 30 years? In 100 years? And what are the chances?
By the way: "The stone crystals disintegrate because of the blockage in rainwater that damages them"
Can I get a Hebrew translation? Who wrote this sentence really expected someone to understand?
Is there any structure that humans have built that will not "collapse in the future"?!
The pyramids are also not what they used to be, and one day they will be just sand at the bottom of the sea.
I wish it would collapse.