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Long-term in situ non-invasive spectroscopic monitoring of weathering processes in open-air prehistoric rock art sites

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Abstract

In this work, an innovative non-destructive monitoring methodology based on the analysis over time of open-air rock art sites is presented. This approach is based on the combination of in situ spectroscopic and chemometric studies to diagnose and monitor the state of conservation of rock art sites. Data acquired over a period of time by non-invasive analytical techniques such as portable Raman spectrometry (RS) and handheld energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (HH-EDXRF) spectrometry are compared to detect physicochemical changes that could affect the rock painting integrity. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed procedure, three analysis campaigns (between 2013 and 2016) were carried out, analyzing Levantine rock pictographs preserved in the rock shelter of Solana de las Covachas VI (Albacete, Spain; see Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM) Fig. S1). The analyzed areas showed different types of active weathering processes such as gypsum and calcium oxalate formation, giving rise to conservation issues such as painting fading, surface loss, microbial colonizations, and formation of crusts. Results evidence that the proposed methodology can be very useful to monitor chemical changes in the surface of the walls where the rock art is located, thus obtaining crucial information for its preservation and management.

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Funding

This work has been carried out as a part of the projects “4D · arte rupestre” that were financed by Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain, in the competitive calls of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 for intervention in sites inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Additionally, it has been partially supported by project IT-742-13 for Consolidated Research Groups, funded by the Basque Country Government. Research by A.P.M. was funded by the Beatriu de Pinós postdoctoral programme (2017 BP-A 00046), the Consolidated Research group programme 2017 SGR 00011 of the Government of Catalonia’s Secretariat for Universities & Research of the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge, and R&D project HAR2017- 86509-P of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080, Bilbao, Spain

    Julene Aramendia, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz de Vallejuelo, Irantzu Martinez-Arkarazo & Juan Manuel Madariaga

  2. Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad, 7, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain

    Maite Maguregui

  3. Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (IESL-FORTH), 71110, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Anastasia Giakoumaki

  4. Seminari d’Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP), Facultat de Geografia i Història, Departamentd’Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Montalegre 6, 08001, Barcelona, Spain

    Africa Pitarch Martí

  5. Departamento de Historia, Área de Prehistoria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación y Humanidades, University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Avda. de los Alfares 42, 16002, Cuenca, Spain

    Juan Francisco Ruiz

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  1. Julene Aramendia
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  6. Africa Pitarch Martí
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Correspondence to Julene Aramendia, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz de Vallejuelo or Juan Francisco Ruiz.

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Aramendia, J., de Vallejuelo, S.FO., Maguregui, M. et al. Long-term in situ non-invasive spectroscopic monitoring of weathering processes in open-air prehistoric rock art sites. Anal Bioanal Chem 412, 8155–8166 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-02949-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-02949-2

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