Geochemical and Petrographic Characterization of Bricks and Mortars of the Parish Church SANTA Maria in Padovetere (Comacchio, Ferrara, Italy)

Abstract

From the 1950s and 1960s of the last century, a parish church dating back to the 6th century AD was identified during reclamation works of Valle Pega. The archaeological investigation allowed the recovery of the parish and the attached baptistery, as well as some tombs closely connected to the church. Following the excavation, it was possible to collect some samples of bricks and mortars in order to identify the different compositions of the materials used for the construction of the parish. All the samples were analyzed through optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffractometric analysis and observation through scanning electron microscope. Thanks to the investigations carried out on the samples, it was possible to hypothesize the different construction phases and the different materials used and to identify the firing temperatures at which the bricks were built.

Geochemical-Microscopical Characterization of the Deterioration of Stone Surfaces in the Cloister of Santa Maria in Vado (Ferrara, Italy)

“…The surface of the samples collected on the arch that decorates the entrance portal to the cloister was analyzed by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Zeiss model EVO ® 40 Basic Instrument (Carl Zeiss AG, Oberkochen, Germany) for morphological and chemical characterization [33][34][35][36]. SEM instrument worked with a magnification range between 7-1,000,000× and with a working voltage of 20 kV, corresponding to a detection limit = 1 µm particle size [37,38].…”

Contribution of Geosciences to Cultural Heritage Conservation Assessment: The Case Study of the Loggiato dei Cappuccini in Comacchio (Italy)

“…In detail, observation of the surfaces of the samples was carried out using a stereomicroscope Optika SZ6745TR and an Optical Transmitted Light Polarized Microscope (OTLPM) Olympus BX51 on thin sections. The optical stereomicroscope (90× total magnification) equipped with MOTICAM 2500 5.0 M pixel webcam using the Motic Images Plus 2.0 ML software was used for reflected light observation on all the samples to define their structural aspect (grain size and texture), clasts dimensional, and morphological aspect of their state of conservation [35]. In this specific work, OTLPM provided information about the quality of the work to produce the mortar [36,37].…”