PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've discovered some ancient Egyptian tombs may be threatened near Luxor, Egypt, because they were built along fracture traces.
Fracture traces are above-ground indications of underlying zones of fractured rock. Such zones, geologists say, are good locations for drilling water wells and, therefore, builders of ancient Egyptian tombs might also have found such areas easier for tomb construction.
The problem, said Katarin Parizek, a digital photography instructor at Pennsylvania State University, is such rock fractures might be responsible for today's problems with water damaging the tombs and their archaeological treasures.
"Previously, I noticed that some tomb entrances in the Valley of Kings, Luxor, Egypt, were aligned on fracture traces and their zones of fracture concentration," said Parizek. "From my observations, it seems that tomb builders may have intentionally exploited these avenues of less resistant limestone when creating tombs."
Working with geology Professor Richard Parizek, she looked at 33 of the 63 known tombs in the Valley of Kings and discovered 30 are located on fracture traces that are natural entry points for water that sometimes damage tombs.
That geological information, she said, is allowing archaeologists to plan better ways to stop tomb flooding by diverting water away from traces and exposed entrances.
The study was presented Sunday in Portland, Ore., during the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.
