Environmental Effects of Weathering and Degradation of Rocky Cone Shape Houses in the Kandovan Village

Abstract

Kandovan village with cone-shaped rocky houses is one of the tourist attractions in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Investigations show that the cone-shaped rocks are eroded and deteriorated by environmental factors. For investigation on this issue, in addition to the field word, the samples were taken from fresh and weathered parts of the rock mass of houses and we studied the effects of climate and weather factores on their physical and chemical properties using freezing-thawing, wetting-drying and X-ray diffraction testes. Also fractures characteristics of Kandovan rock mass was measured and analyzed by using a computer program called "Dips" and three major fractures were detected in its erosion on rocky created cone-shaped houses. There is the chance of degradation of houses due to continuing erosion along them. The results of the climate data, tests and analyzes show that rock surface were damaged and eroded by environmental factors but due to lack of appropriate water and suitable temperature for chemical weathering, there are no traces of clay minerals in the rock. Area climate condition does not show significant effect on physical and chemical weathering process of the cone-shaped rocky houses and only a thin layer of them has been damaged but there is the possibility of further damage of rocks due to continuing weathering and erosion processes and lack of conservation and restoration actions.

Keywords

• freezing-thawing
• kandovan village
• physical weathering
• wetting-drying