THE EFFECT OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS ON THE EROSION OF MONUMENTALSTONES OF ORISSA

Old stone monuments situated in Bhubaneswar, capital city of Orissa, I ndia, were built during 7th century A.D. to 11th century A.D., using s and stones of Gondwana age. The present study deals with the effects o f various physico-chemical parameters on the erosion of a variety of s andstones used in the construction of these monuments. Experiments wer e carried out to study leaching of these stones under neutral and acid ic media and the salt attack tests performed under controlled conditio ns in the laboratory. The results of these studies will help to provid e an effective method of protecting these old stone monuments from env ironmental deterioration due to various physico-chemical parameters.