| Egyptian Journal of Archeological and Restoration Studies

Authors:
Hefni, Y.
Conservation dept, Faculty of Archaeology and Tourism Guidance, Misr Univ. for Science & Technology.,
⁶ th October, Egypt

Abstract:
Xenolithic structures are considered to be natural defects in the igneous rocks that highly affect their physicochemical and mechanical properties. They are foreign rock fragments trapped in the magma or lava during the cooling process. They are totally unrelated to the igneous rocks, as they compose from different types of rock pieces that enclosed in the monumental granites during their emplacement. This paper aims to study and characterize the xenolith fragment trapped in the studied granitic obelisk. The analytical study was carried out using different techniques such as polarizing microscope, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, EDS elemental analysis and BET surface area. The results clarified that the studied xenolith fragment is classified as biotite schist xenolith. In addition, it was observed that the xenolith fragment not only affects the aesthetic appearance of the studied granitic obelisk but also it represents a serious weakness point in its structure.

Keywords:
Xenolith Schist Granite Obelisk Schistosity

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