Biodeterioration of Stone in Historic Buildings and Monuments

Microbial geochemical cycles have been going on since life on earth began. This activity results in chemical and mineralogical modification of the different types of rocks and minerals within the biosphere and involves essentially the solubilization processes of major mineral elements from silicates, carbonates, phosphates, oxides, etc. While the weathering of minerals in natural environments results in the destruction of rocks, thus contributing to soil formation processes, it has a deleterious effect when these rocks are part of historic buildings and monuments.