Atmospheric and anthropogenic deterioration of the İvriz rock monument: Ereğli-Konya, Central Anatolia, Turkey

The aim of this study is to determine the extent of deterioration of the limestone on which the İvriz rock monument is engraved. This monument is near Aydınkent (İvriz) village and located 12 km from the Ereğli district of Konya. The height of the İvriz Hittite monument is 4.20 m and its width is 2.40 m. It dates back to the second-half of the eighth century BC. The rocks on which the reliefs are engraved are limestone; the lower parts are brecciated with open cracks, and the upper parts show fewer cracks with smaller gaps. To enable the identification of the characteristics of the rocks on which the figures are located, non-destructive methods were used. Surface humidity, P wave velocity, thermal imaging, and Schmidt hardness measurement were applied to the wall surface of the monument, and mapping studies were conducted. Surface humidity varied between 26 and 58% with the highest values measured in the sections where the cracks are densest. The P wave velocity measured at the rock monument varied between 1.6 and 5.8 km/s, with the lowest values found in the sections where cracks were denser. Schmidt rebound values varied between 18 and 42, with higher values obtained in those sections with fewer effects of deterioration. According to the detailed observations and data obtained from non-destructive techniques (NDT) and laboratory data, the most significant deterioration has resulted from atmospheric conditions and damage by humans. The most common effects of degradation in this area are erosion by water, granular disintegration, cracks, microkarst, black crust, biodegradation (lichen, algae, and higher plants), and vandalism.