Variability of some Lutetian building stones from the Paris Basin, from characterisation to conservation

Lutetian limestones of the Paris Basin were used from antiquity to today as building materials (e.g. Paris and Rheims Notre-Dame cathedrals), but quarries gradually closed down and started to disappear from the landscape and hence from memory. These limestones show important vertical and lateral variations and shift of facies, and, within the same area, the building stones can have very different petrographical and petrophysical properties. The use of sometimes very different stones may cause problems for the conservation of cultural heritage monuments because of their great response variability to treatments. In our study area, the building stone's sedimentological and petrophysical properties were characterized, as well as their behaviour in construction, in particular with respect to their durability or state of conservation. The cartography of these various microfacies, from abandoned quarries and old buildings, would allow a better management of mineral resources in this region. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.