easter island stone heads are 'dying'!

found this recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/12/06/MN3BRJUGG.DTL
Very Sad.... :(

Sounds like the local government should start an "Adopt a Moai" program to raise funds for restoring them. I think Sally Struthers is looking for work too.

On 2007-12-06 14:10, rugbymatt wrote:
Sounds like the local government should start an "Adopt a Moai" program to raise funds for restoring them. I think Sally Struthers is looking for work too.

Sally was considered ,but the council figgered she'd try to eat the Moais instead of protect them! :lol:

I would totally adopt a moai!

Actually this sounds like a very easy problem to solve. If you don't seal your driveway every half a decade the rain and polution will eat away the surface.

I've got a gallon of Latexite Airport Grade driveway sealant...Who's comin' with me?

Sad indeed, sure hope some philanthropist comes to their rescue...needs some big bucks. :(

The elements of time are eroding the Moai, just like the Sphinx.

However, the resin solution does appear to be a relatively cost-effective fix.
Can Chile or UNESCO shake down the cruise lines for cash - in return for maybe exclusive use in marketing?

Or . . . maybe wealthy nations just need to step up to the plate, although there are a number of worthy humanitarian causes which are arguably just as pressing, if not moreso.

Or, the Dominican Republic charges all tourists an entrance fee of approx $20, so maybe Rapa Nui should do the same. $20 x 50,0000 could go a long way.

I thought they had already started preservation efforts? Did it fall through?
German Firm Hired to Save Easter Island Sculptures

On 2007-12-07 07:21, christiki295 wrote:
...However, the resin solution does appear to be a relatively cost-effective fix...

Maybe, but when they tried that at Rosslyn Chapel things got a lot worse quickly, and restoration-restoration is taking orders of magnitude more time, money, effort, and intelligence.
I'm no expert in this - I'm just saying that it may not be so simple.

The effect from the weather is drastic.
They appear to be literally dissolving before us.
Just look at these taken by Tikitrotter:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=25739&forum=16&4

Wellllllll... Anybody up for another "V-Vote", this time to the Chilean government?

We could try to stir up another "save this irreplacible bit of Tiki culture" campaign, but we'd need to know exactly what the current preservation status is, what funding is necessary to complete it, and whether those involved might even want our help.

Maybe SwampTiki, preservation specialist extraordinaire, might know how to go about it (?).

If every TC member donated $10.00, would it pay for the sealer? The equipment? Local labor?

Hey, at least we could take some hope that [some real estate fat-cat] isn't waiting in the wings to bulldoze 'em before they might be rescued and preserved.

I'll try if everybody else will. It'd be pretty cool if TC actually helped to save 'em, yes?

This one article describes that a conference resulted in the following preservation steps:

According to the experimental results we propose the following steps to consolidate the Moai statues:

1. Constructive protection against rainwater

2. Cleaning of the surface

3. Treatment with agents to reduce the hygric dilatation

4. Covering of the surface with a poultice

5. Drying of the stone over a period of several month.

6. Treatment at first with low concentrated followed by higher concentrated silicate esters solutions.

7. Closing of cracks and holes (Restorer).

Before the consolidation of a re-erected statue it is suggested to check the whole procedure at selected Moai fragments.

http://www.islandheritage.org/conference_files/conferenceIII.html