Outputs (21)

Heritage at War (2024)
Book

The right of access to, and enjoyment of, cultural heritage is enshrined in human rights norms and the devastating effects of armed conflict on cultural heritage are well documented, with the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage having been an... Read More about Heritage at War.

The efficiency of elemental geochemistry and weathering indices as tracers in aeolian sediment provenance fingerprinting (2021)
Journal Article

Confirmation of cost-effective and reliable tracers for aeolian sediment (sand dune) source fingerprinting warrants further research. Accordingly, the main objective of the work reported in this paper was to investigate the efficiency of weathering i... Read More about The efficiency of elemental geochemistry and weathering indices as tracers in aeolian sediment provenance fingerprinting.

Microstructural damage from bullet impacts in heritage sandstones (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Despite protection in international law, cultural heritage still suffers both intentional and inadvertent damage during conflict. Behind visible surface cratering, typically caused by small arms projectiles, is a network of microscale damage that is... Read More about Microstructural damage from bullet impacts in heritage sandstones.

Heritage in the crossfire (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The Heritage in the Crossfire project investigates the impact of ballistics on sedimentary stone, and their consequences for further deterioration. This is particularly important in light of the ever increasing power of arms and their ubiquitous use... Read More about Heritage in the crossfire.

Integrating structure-from-motion photogrammetry into rock weathering field methodologies (2019)
Journal Article

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Despite recent rapid advances in the field of structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, the use of high-resolution data to investigate small-scale processes is a relatively underdeveloped field. In particular, rock... Read More about Integrating structure-from-motion photogrammetry into rock weathering field methodologies.

Permeability and surface hardness surveying of stone damaged by ballistic impact (2019)
Journal Article

Recent instances of the destruction of cultural assets in conflict zones have demonstrated the need to develop methods which will allow for the assessment of damage to heritage stone in the field. In particular, non-destructive methods would be inval... Read More about Permeability and surface hardness surveying of stone damaged by ballistic impact.

Bullet impacts and built heritage damage 1640–1939 (2018)
Journal Article

© 2018, The Author(s). Conflict damage to heritage has been thrust into the global spotlight during recent conflict in the Middle East. While the use of social media has heightened and enhanced public awareness of this ‘cultural terrorism’, the occur... Read More about Bullet impacts and built heritage damage 1640–1939.

Implications of vegetation growth and rock weathering rinds associated with periglacial sorted circles and stone-/turf-banked lobes on Mafadi/Njesuthi summits, high Drakensberg, southern Africa (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Large sorted circles (>30 cm in diameter and consisting of pebble centres and cobble to boulder borders, commonly vertically aligned) and stone banked lobes are thought to have formed during colder Neoglacial periods during the Holocene, but their ag... Read More about Implications of vegetation growth and rock weathering rinds associated with periglacial sorted circles and stone-/turf-banked lobes on Mafadi/Njesuthi summits, high Drakensberg, southern Africa.

Defining tafoni: Re-examining terminological ambiguity for cavernous rock decay phenomena (2015)
Journal Article

© 2015, © The Author(s) 2015. Cavernous rock decay processes represent a global phenomenon, ubiquitous to all environments, with the viewable-in-landscape form usually being the final descriptor (e.g. “alveoli”), sometimes alluding to the specific de... Read More about Defining tafoni: Re-examining terminological ambiguity for cavernous rock decay phenomena.

Shot to pieces and shocked to the core (2015)
Journal Article

Bullet impacts are an often overlooked mechanism of stone decay. High speed impacts cause fracture networks that alter the stone matrix. Here we report on initial findings of a microscopical investigation into fracture networks and their responses to... Read More about Shot to pieces and shocked to the core.

Measuring rock hardness in the field (2014)
Book Chapter

Rock surface hardness is often used as an indicator of the degree to which a rock surface has weathered. As the surface deteriorates the loss of cohesion results in crumbling of the surface, increased pore water circulation and dislodging of sections... Read More about Measuring rock hardness in the field.

Investigations into the relationship between changes in internal moisture regimes and rock surface deterioration in cavernous sandstone features (2013)
Journal Article

Cavernous features commonly develop in sandstone, but their development over time remains enigmatic. It has been suggested that moisture movements within the rock mass play a key role in the location, development and dynamics of cavernous features. I... Read More about Investigations into the relationship between changes in internal moisture regimes and rock surface deterioration in cavernous sandstone features.

The role of fieldwork in rock decay research: Case studies from the fringe (2013)
Journal Article

Researchers exploring rock decay hail from chemistry, engineering, geography, geology, paleoclimatology, soil science, and other disciplines and use laboratory, microscopic, theoretical, and field-based strategies. We illustrate here how the traditio... Read More about The role of fieldwork in rock decay research: Case studies from the fringe.

Exposing drying patterns: Using electrical resistivity tomography to monitor capillary rise in sandstone under varying drying conditions (2013)
Journal Article

Rising damp and other moisture movements through porous stone and rock are known to cause weathering and deterioration, as noted in a range of recent field and laboratory studies. However, relatively little is known about the behaviour of moisture wi... Read More about Exposing drying patterns: Using electrical resistivity tomography to monitor capillary rise in sandstone under varying drying conditions.

Changing deserts: Integrating people and their environment (2012)
Book

Deserts—vast, empty places where time appears to stand still. The very word conjures images of endless seas of sand, blistering heat, and a virtual absence of life. However, deserts encompass a large variety of landscapes and life beyond our stereoty... Read More about Changing deserts: Integrating people and their environment.

Conserving history in changing arid environments: A geomorphological approach (2012)
Book Chapter

One brief glance at the UNESCO World Heritage List (August 2010) shows that currently 18 cultural sites are ‘under severe threat’. Of these, 14 are situated in arid environments. The harsh nature of these climates in combination with the often inacce... Read More about Conserving history in changing arid environments: A geomorphological approach.

The role of rock surface hardness and internal moisture in tafoni development in sandstone (2011)
Journal Article

The development of cavernous weathering features such as tafoni remains poorly understood. In particular, the roles played by internal moisture and case hardening remain unclear. In this study, Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) has been used to m... Read More about The role of rock surface hardness and internal moisture in tafoni development in sandstone.

Sandstone weathering, electrical resistivity tomography, and the deterioration of San rock art in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa (2011)
Thesis

Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is a novel technique which can be used to build up a 2D pseudo-section of resistivity distribution of a porous material. Here, it is used to visualise internal moisture regimes by measuring the resistivity dist... Read More about Sandstone weathering, electrical resistivity tomography, and the deterioration of San rock art in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa.

The writing's in the wall: A review of new preliminary applications of electrical resistivity tomography within archaeology (2010)
Journal Article

Natural processes are known to cause significant damage to archaeological monuments. In fact, the key to understanding the decay of building materials is the internal movement of water through the mineral matrix, which influences the distribution of... Read More about The writing's in the wall: A review of new preliminary applications of electrical resistivity tomography within archaeology.

Geoelectric investigations into sandstone moisture regimes: Implications for rock weathering and the deterioration of San Rock Art in the Golden Gate Reserve, South Africa (2010)
Journal Article

The Clarens sandstone in the Golden Gate Reserve, South Africa, is the canvas for a collection of San (Bushmen) Rock Art, dating from Neolithic times until as recently as 150. years ago. This Rock Art is under threat from human interference but also,... Read More about Geoelectric investigations into sandstone moisture regimes: Implications for rock weathering and the deterioration of San Rock Art in the Golden Gate Reserve, South Africa.