TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH:
Is Jerusalem’s Western Wall falling down? Some of the holy site’s stones are rapidly eroding, putting the wall at risk, Israeli researchers say (Andrew Tobin,
Times of Israel)
Parts of the Western Wall are eroding 100 times faster than others, potentially undermining the stability of the ancient Jewish holy site, according to a new study, indicating it might be in danger of collapse hundreds of years in the future.
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It seems that some of the stones in the Western Wall are sub-standard.
The stones that are eroding more quickly are made of fine-grained limestone that crumbles more readily after exposure to water, the study finds.
“Rainwater gets into the stones and causes dissolution. It’s similar to what happens to a sugar cube when it’s dunked in coffee,” said Dr. Simon Emmanuel, an earth scientist specializing in the interaction of water and rock, who conducted the study along with earth sciences doctoral student Yael Levenson at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “The stones that are made of finer crystals fall apart much more easily.”
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The researchers say the average erosion rates they calculated would not endanger the wall for at least several hundred years, although it is possible that catastrophic erosion could happen at any time.
“It looks like Herod might have been the victim of shoddy contractors,” joked Emmanuel. “He was an ambitious builder, and there was intense demand for limestone at the time. Some corners may have been cut.”
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The lowest bid isn't always the best one.