• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.395-402
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• 2010

Mineralogical characterization was performed for the mineral assemblages precipitated at the boundary between limestone bedrock and bat guano deposits in the Gossi Cave, Korea. Francoanellite, taranakite, ardealite, brushite and monetite are observed as phosphate minerals and gypsum and a small amount of barite as sulfate minerals in the guano deposits. With the increase of depth, phosphates are changed as following sequence: taranakite ${\rightarrow}$ francoanellite ${\rightarrow}$ ardealite ${\rightarrow}$ brushite ${\rightarrow}$ monetite. This sequence indicates that the major parameters controlling the physico-chemical conditions under which these mineral assemblages were deposited are pH and relative humidity.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.131-141
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• 2012

The guano formed from the bat excrement in a cave contains various sulfate and phosphate minerals formed from the reaction of bat excrement with surrounding rocks and clastic minerals. Therefore, the mineral compositions in the guano provide basic informations on the geochemical environments affecting mineral formation in a cave. This study was conducted to study the mineral compositions of guano and the factors affecting those compositions by comparing mineralogical and chemical compositions in three different limestone caves in Korea. The guano samples in Gossi Cave contain detrital minerals such as illite, quartz and feldspar and relatively large amount of gypsum. The contents of gypsum increase with increasing depth, which is different from the samples collected in other caves. The samples collected from Baekryong Cave have the similar mineral compositions to those in Gossi Cave, but they also contain additional kaolinite and very small amount of gypsum. The samples in Sungryu Cave have similar mineralogical compositions to those in Gossi Cave, but contian bassanite instead of gypsum. The mineralogical compositions are well correlated with the chemical compositions of guano. The mineral compositions indicate that, in Gossi Cave, the minerals were formed by the reaction of large amount of bat excrement with surrounding rocks in high humidity condition or in the condition of frequent floods. In the case of Sungryu Cave, bassanite which can be formed in a dry condition indicates that minerals were formed in a relatively low humidity condition.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2020

The Main Hall of the Fengguo monastery in Yixian county, Liaoning province, China, is the best preserved and largest wooden Buddhist structure, typical of the Liao dynasty style, in China. However, some degradation to the timber frame of the Main Hall has been noted, and this is causing concern in terms of the long-term preservation of the structure. In this study, wooden pillars showing the degradation phenomena of whitening, for areas in contact with the stone floor, and extensive surface damage at higher locations(mostly above 1 m) have been examined. Samples taken from wooden pillar surfaces were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), ion chromatography, and pH measurements. With respect to the whitening phenomenon, we found inorganic calcium precipitates and oxalate ions, along with higher pH values. These symptoms indicated that chemical changes were taking place in response to alkaline conditions, suggesting that alkaline mixtures with calcium content in the foundations may be responsible. Regarding the upper surface-damaged areas, no valid evidence for chemical degradation was found using FTIR analysis, while damaged areas exhibited the presence of more bat guano-related materials than which were apparent in undamaged areas. The occurrence of this surface-damaged phenomenon has therefore been attributed to physical damage caused by bat activity over long periods of time.