|
Abstract Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes，the very famous world culture heritage，was chiseled in the cliff face of alluvial grit etching by the Daquan River in the Quaternary Period. Undergone natural and human factors，caves of Mogao Grottoes have many diseases and deteriorations including flaking，detachment and disruption；especially the caves of low-layer are most serious. Cave 98，one of the most valuable and representative diseases of low-layer caves in the Five Dynasties(AD914—AD935)，is selected as an example. Like all other caves in Mogao Grottoes，it has been affected by the natural environment. From the hole drilled at the lower portion of the western wall without painting，samples obtained for salinity analysis. The temperature and humidity are measured inside the hole. The analysis of electrical resistivity data from south to north of the lower portion of the western wall indicates that the soluble salt contents of the rock mass are mainly vitriolic and chloride，mainly concentrated between the surface and the depth of 35 cm. Water condensation occurs in the rock mass at depth of 125 cm. Inside the rock mass，there is close correlation between relative humidity and salinity. When moisture content rises，salinity drops. Due to the high humidity and abundant supply of salt，the salinity of the western wall，which is backed by the main cliff structure，is higher than the other walls，and it is more sensitive to changes in the environment. These achievements have provided a scientific basis for conservation wall paintings.
|
|
Received: 07 November 2008
|
|
|
|
