Abstract
The Mogao Grottoes is famous around the world for its exquisite wall paintings and colorful painted sculptures, and was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. Although the site is located in an arid area, water is still one of the main factors threatening the long-term preservation of cultural relics. The relationship between rainfall infiltration and wall painting deterioration was investigated as part of efforts to develop conservation strategies to prevent deterioration caused by atmospheric precipitation. This was done through artificial rainfall simulation experiments and high-density electrical non-destructive test. Areas prone to wall painting deterioration, as evidenced by periodic condition assessment, showed an association between further deterioration and natural heavy rainfall. The results show that the covering layer above the grottoes has a small runoff coefficient, and the rainfall infiltration is much larger than the volume of runoff produced. The rainwater migrates preferentially along the rock fractures in the form of gas or through the gaps between the grotto eaves and the rock, or through cracks in the form of liquid. This is the main mechanism for activation of salt damage and deterioration of the wall paintings. The covering layer above the grottoes is thin, and the through-cracks in the surrounding rock or external wooden eaves are particularly vulnerable to rainfall infiltration. This indicates that more attention should be paid to the system of preventive protection by rainwater disposal. This research has important practical value in improving preventive protection of the Mogao Grottoes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Omari A, Brunetauda X, Becka K, Al-Mukhtar M (2018) Thermal stress and damage risk in the stones of Al-Ziggurat in Al-Nimrud city, Iraq. J Cult Herit 37:9–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2018.10.011
Chen G (2010) The analysis of source of water causes blister on wall painting of Cave 351 Mogao grottoes and preliminary simulation test of blister. Dunhuang Res 6:54–58 (in Chinese)
Cui B, Zhang Y, Xu XH, Wang Y (2015) Law of sediment production and characteristics of eroded sediment on slope based on simulated rainfall. SWCC (4):43–45 (in eChinese)
Demas, M, Agnew, N, Fan, J (2015) Methodology of the visitor study. In: Strategies for sustainable tourism at the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, China. Springer Briefs in Archaeology. Springer, Cham
Fátima A, Rosario V (2013) The church of Saint Martin (Trujillo, Spain): study of the stone degradation. J Cult Herit 14S:109–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2012.10.024
Freire-Lista DM, Greif V, Álvarez de Buergo M, Fort R (2015) Gypsum decay simulation: Risco de las Cuevas case study, Madrid, Spain. In: Lollino G, Giordan D, Marunteanu C, Christaras B, Yoshinori I, Margottini C (eds) Engineering geology for society and territory, vol 8, pp 86–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09408-3_86
Ghobadi MH, Torabi-Kaveh M, Miri M, Mahdiabadi N (2015) An introduction to the karst geomorphology of the Bisetun–Taqe Bostan historical region (northeast Kermanshah, Iran) with special emphasis on karst development as a serious threat for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bull Eng Geol Environ 74:1071. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-014-0662-0
Guo, QL (2009) Origin of water and salts responsible for wall paintings disease at Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. China. PhD Dissertation., Lanzhou:Lanzhou University (in Chinese)
Heng T, Liao R, Wang Z, Wu W, Li W, Zhang J (2018) Effects of combined drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage on water and salt transport of saline-alkali soil in Xinjiang, China. J. Arid Land 10:932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-018-0061-7
Liu HL, Wang XD, Zhang MQ, Guo QL, Zhang ZM, Wang YW (2016) Research on the characteristics of rainfall distribution and infiltration in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Sci Archeaol & Conserv 28(2):32–37 (in Chinese)
Mandal UK, Rao KV, Mishra PK, Vittal KPR, Sharma KL, Narsimlu B, Venkana K (2005) Soil infiltration, runoff and sediment yield from a shallow soil with varied stone cover and intensity of rain. Eur J Soil Sci 56:435–443. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2004.00687.x
Marion GM, Verburg PSJ, McDonald EV, Arnone JA (2008) Modeling salt movement through a Mojave desert soil. J Arid Environ 72(6):1012–1033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.12.005
Mikhailov AG, Kharitonova MY, Vashlaev II, Sviridova ML (2015) Precipitation of salts during capillary hoist in solutions in subsurface aeration zone. J Min Sci 51:596. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062739115030242
Nordon LD, Savabi R (2010) Evolution of a linear variable intensity rainfall simulator for surface hydrology and erosion studies. Appl Eng Agric 26(2):239–245
Shi X, Yan S, Chen M, Fu J (2009) Detection technology and application of electromagnetic method for hidden danger of water gushing at coal face. J Coal Sci Eng China 15:197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12404-009-0217-3
Su BM (2010) Salting damages of Dunhuang wall paintings and regular maintenance. Dunhuang Res (6):14–16 in Chinese
Wang XD (2015) Construction of a monitoring and precaution system and exploration of preventive conservation at the Mogao. Dunhuang Res (1):104–110 in Chinese
Wang W, Dong Z, Wang T, Zhang G (2006) The equilibrium gravel coverage of the deflated Gobi above the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. China Eng Geol 50(7):1077–1083. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0281-6
Wang X, Zhang H, Guo Q, Lu Q (2009) Weathering characterization and conservation treatment of cliff at Mogao grottoes. J Rock Mech & Eng 28(5):1055–1062 in Chinese
Wang X, Zhang M, Zhang H, Zeng Z, Yao Z, Zhou Z (2000) Engineering properties of surrounding rocks of Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 19(6):756–761 in Chinese
Wang XD, Guo QL, Li ZX, Koizumi K, Musuya T (2010) Research on permeability of surrounding rock at Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. China Rock & Soil Mech 31:3139–3144 in Chinese
Wang K, Xu G, Li S, Ge C (2018) Geo-environmental characteristics of weathering deterioration of red sandstone relics: a case study in Tongtianyan Grottoes, Southern China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 77:1515. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1128-y
Yang YL, Wang XD, Guo QL, Zhao LY, Lin QT (2009) Preliminary analysis of moisture distribution in cliff rocks of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology 36(5):94–97 in Chinese
Acknowledgments
The authors are particularly grateful to Professor Huyuan Zhang of Lanzhou University for his guidance in experiment design as well as Yafan Chai from Water and Soil Conservation Institute of Gansu Province for his help in the installation of instruments.
Funding
This research was financially supported by the Key Research and Development Plan of Gansu Province (No. 17YF1FF104), the major special project of Gansu Province (No. 18ZD2FA001), and the project of the Gansu Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau (201608).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, H., Wang, X., Guo, Q. et al. Experimental investigation on the correlation between rainfall infiltration and the deterioration of wall paintings at Mogao Grottoes, China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79, 1199–1207 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01645-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01645-5