Suitable Re-Use of Abandoned Quarries for Restoration and Conservation of the Old City of Salamanca—World Heritage Site

Abstract

Martinamor granite has been used for centuries in the monumental buildings of Salamanca city. In this study, the fracturing pattern of the Martinamor granite outcrops was evaluated in order to assess the possibility of supplying material for the restoration of heritage monuments. Several joint sets with a mean joint spacing lower than one meter compose the fracturing pattern, making the massive exploitation of this granite impossible. Only small blocks for restoration can be obtained; therefore, the outcrops should be protected for such purpose. The area of outcrops and ancient quarries, as well as that of mining activities from the same period, should be preserved as examples of historical extraction techniques and as a remembrance of our geological-materials-based society. Several proposals are presented for the geoconservation of the site.

Linking Cultural and Postindustrial Heritage with Potential Economic Activities—A Proposal to Revitalize a Demographically Degraded Area in Spain

“…It is possible to observe several quarry faces defined by joints. There are even some vestiges of earlier quarrying methods like those used in ancient Egypt and prehistoric sites in Europe and South America ( [29] and references therein; see also http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/quarrymarks.htm, accessed on 25 October 2023). These marks are caused by the tools used to separate the blocks, in both the vertical and the horizontal planes.…”

“…Wedge marks are the oldest of these. Several publications mention the Roman period as the origin of these marks ( [29] and references therein). However, only a detailed archaeological investigation will allow us to draw accurate conclusions about the wedge The most important heritage site in the context of stones is related to Martinamor granite, which was called Piedra Pajarilla ("little bird stone") by the quarrymen of centuries ago.…”

“…Wedge marks are the oldest of these. Several publications mention the Roman period as the origin of these marks ( [29] and references therein). However, only a detailed archaeological investigation will allow us to draw accurate conclusions about the wedge marks observed in the area.…”

Dilemma of Geoconservation of Monogenetic Volcanic Sites under Fast Urbanization and Infrastructure Developments with Special Relevance to the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

“…For centuries societies have utilized volcanic landforms for resources, resulting in modified landscapes. Recently, abandoned quarry sites have become significant geosites, often featuring exposed magmatic plumbing systems of monogenetic volcanoes, easily accessible, and ready to be visited and utilized as geosites for volcano geology and hazard education [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The UNESCO IGCP Project (# 692.…”

Building stone quarries: resource evaluation by block modelling and unmanned aerial photogrammetric surveys

“…Taking images by UAVs is not only a safe method, to obtain images of hard accessible slopes in quarries; it is also a fast technique to study and monitor quarrying areas (Salvini et al 2017). UAVs can be used to map visible discontinuities, regardless of their position, attitude or height above ground (Sousa et al 2019;Török et al 2020). The acquired images allow processing of detailed digital surface models (DSMs), orthophotos, and three-dimensional (3D) models (Egels and Kasser 2001).…”