Characteristics, forms and mechanism of weathering of the stone caused by the salt spray in the stone used in the main monuments of the city of Alicante (Spain)

Abstract

The importance of knowing the climatic conditions which surround the monuments, as they are closely related to the alteration of the materials which constitute them, is more and more evident due to the interest that they have in order to enable us to succeed in controlling the deterioration of the Architectonic Patrimony. It is for this reason that we are doing the present study which deals with the alteration of the stone used in the historic architecture of Alicante, a city in Spain located on the Mediterranean basin. The characteristics of such city owing to its climate as well as its location, its orography and the characteristics of the stone used in its construction up to the last years of the XIX century, make it ideal to conduct a study of this character.