Читать книгу Monument Future - Siegfried Siegesmund - Страница 308

The Stone Standing Buddha and the Stone Chamber of Mireukri temple site in Chungju is a semi-built artificial stone grotto temple that inherited the Gyeongju Seokguram Grotto (AD 751) in South Korea. It was designated as Korean Treasure No. 96 in recognition of its value as a cultural heritage site like the huge Stone Standing Buddha (10.6 m in height), a unique architectural structure.

However, the Stone Chamber had problems with its structural stability as its masonry was constructed after being built on top of weathered granite, where the original ground sloped to the west. Due to continuous creep, the structural deformation was clearly visible in the western wall of the Stone Chamber in 2014, which was decided to be dismantled in 2016. Currently, the dismantling and repair work is in progress on all sections of the western wall and some sections of the southern wall.

With the repair work, an overall conservation scientific investigation including non-destructive diagnosis for the Stone Standing Buddha and Stone Chamber was carried out. As a result, the main rocks that make up this study subject are pinkish medium-grained biotite granites, which as Wolaksan granite. The deterioration assessment on the Stone Standing Buddha indicated moderate conditions for all types of damage. However, in the analysis of surface contaminants, there was a singularity that the content of lead on the statue’s face was measured to be relatively higher than other parts.

The physical evaluation by ultrasonic velocity showed third grade deterioration (moderately weathered – MW) in the Stone Standing Buddha, while the Stone Chamber before dismantling was shown to be fourth grade (highly weathered – HW). Finally, by examining petrographic homogeneity with granitic rocks in the surrounding area, it was found that the rocks around Mireukri in Chungju and the quarry in Mungyeong are highly similar with those of the study subject.

Keywords: Mireukri temple site, Deterioration, Creep, Nondestructive diagnosis, Petrographic homogeneity