Moisture content measurement and surface water absorption test in the inner gallery of Bayon for the conservation of the bas-relief

The bas-relief carved on the sandstone wall in the central part of the inner gallery of Bayon in the Angkor monuments, Cambodia, has been severely damaged mainly due to calcite crystallization. In order to confirm the mechanism of salt weathering and help determine conservation measures for the bas-relief, measurements of the annual change in the moisture content in the bas-relief were conducted. We found that water supplied from the platform behind the bas-relief is the cause of calcite crystallization. It is therefore indispensable for the conservation of the bas-relief to prevent the water permeating from the inside of the platform behind it. As precipitated calcite from the water block pores near the surface of the sandstone, the surface water absorption test is a useful method to evaluate the degree of the salt weathering.

► Deterioration mechanism of the bas-relief in the inner gallery of Bayon was elucidated.
► Annual change in the moisture content of the bas-relief was measured.
► Deterioration was caused by calcite precipitation from water supplied from the platform.
► Surface water absorption test is useful to evaluate the degree of salt weathering.