A group of experts led by Jorge Otero, a researcher at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Barcelona, travelled to Easter Island to study the effects of the fire of 2022 on the Moai statues. They also debated on what conservation and restoration measures are needed. The research activity is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, under the Ramón y Cajal programme.
The researchers worked together with the conservation team of the Rapa Nui community Ma'u Henua and used non-invasive techniques, such as georadar or ultrasound, to study the interior of the Moai.
After the 2022 fire, the conservation team of the Ma'u Henua indigenous community carried out a visual assessment of the damage, but so far, no scientific analysis of the impact of the fire on the stone, especially the damage to the interior of the figures, had been carried out.
The research team, made up of researchers from the UB, the University of Vigo and the University of Copenhagen, studied the mineralogical changes that the stones may have undergone due to the heat, as well as the weakening of the material's resistance and internal micro-cracks or fractures that could lead to detachment.
Jorge Otero explains: "The fire of 2022 left a mark on one of the world's most iconic heritages. This analysis is not only a crucial step for the conservation of the Moai, but also an opportunity to learn how to protect our cultural heritage from similar threats in the future". He explains that the analysis of the ground "has been very fruitful". "It is still too early to determine the real extent of the impact of the fire on the Moai, as we will now carry out complementary analyses in the laboratory to draw well-founded conclusions and compare them", adds the researcher.
The results, to be published by the end of the year, will make it possible to establish intervention protocols to consolidate damaged structures and prevent future damage by applying consolidating products in the most vulnerable areas.
The study is part of a collaboration agreement between the UB and the Ma'u Henua indigenous community.
