Gravity-induced stress as a factor reducing decay of sandstone monuments in Petra, Jordan

Recent work has shown that gravity-induced stress within a landform due to vertical loading reduces weathering and erosion rates, contrary to commonly held hypotheses. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the negative feedback between stress and weathering of sandstone monuments at the Petra World Heritage Site in Jordan via field observations, salt weathering experiments, and physical and numerical modeling. Previous studies on weathering of Petra monuments have neglected the impact of stress, but the ubiquitous presence of stress-controlled landforms in Petra suggest that it has a substantial effect on weathering and erosion processes on manmade monuments and natural surfaces. Laboratory salt weathering experiments with cubes of Umm Ishrin sandstone from Petra demonstrated the inverse relationship between stress magnitude and decay rate. Physical modeling with Střeleč locked sand from the Czech Republic was used to simulate weathering and decay of Petra monuments. Sharp forms subjected to water erosion decayed to rounded shapes strikingly similar to weathered tombs in Petra. The physical modeling results enabled visualization of the recession of monument surfaces in high spatial and temporal resolution and indicated that the recession rate of Petra monuments was far from constant both in space and time. Numerical modeling of stress fields confirmed the physical modeling results. This novel approach to investigate weathering clearly demonstrates that increased stress decreases the decay rate of Petra monuments. To properly delineate the endangered zones of monuments, the potential damage caused by weathering agents should be combined with stress modeling and verified by documentation of a real damage.