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Nowadays, the research in the fields of conservation and restoration is focusing on recording large amounts of data and information in order to obtain highly accurate surveys that include most details of constructions. Documenting and surveying are fundamental activities in achieving the successful preservation of cultural heritage, but also in implementing efficient strengthening interventions of structures. The applications of methods and techniques that link the disciplines of geometrical surveys and structural analyses are still fragmented, and further research is necessary to fully transfer site information into structural models. In this article, the authors propose a methodology with which to link different restoration fields, with the aim of highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the interoperability between surveys (carried out through detailed restitution from point clouds), heritage building information modeling (HBIM), and structural analyses to connect three different disciplines. The goal is to find a synthesis model that brings together historical and geometric characteristics, but also physical–mechanical properties, for a structural evaluation through a finite element model (FEM). The case study of the Escuela José Mariano Méndez is analyzed, an extremely damaged historical adobe building in Santa Ana, the second largest city of El Salvador; it is considered fundamental to the national economy, particularly after the "coffee boom" in the late 1800s. The site, located near the historic center, is also known as "Antigua Escuela de Artes y Oficios" and embodies the architectural traditions of the region, being built in adobe and stone. Roma Tre University and the Secretaría de Cultura de la Presidencia (SECULTURA) are partners in this research project to document and restore the historical and cultural value of this site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adobe masonry structure has widely been distributed for a long time in the rural areas of northwest China. The conventional building forms share some advantages, including convenient material access, thermal insulation, economic and environmental protection, as well as green and energy saving. However, some limitations are also remained, such as low material strength, unstable quality, and low structural integrity. Particularly, the living conditions in rural areas is ever-increasingly concerned under the current national strategies of rural revitalization, energy conservation, and emission reduction. Alternatively, a mechanical adobe is highly expected to serve as a masonry structure in the future, due mainly to its stable quality, convenient construction, and performance close to masonry. In this study, some experiments were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of a mechanical and eco-friendly modified adobe brick masonry. Typical non-polluting materials were added to enhance the seismic performance and strength of adobe brick masonry building, such as sodium silicate, potassium alum, urea, re-dispersible latex powder, and straw. A compressive and shear strength test was performed on the mechanical adobe brick masonry, where the specimens were divided into two groups of 12 compressive and two groups of 18 shear experiments. An investigation was made to obtain the failure mechanism and mechanical properties of adobe brick masonry. The uniaxial compression stress-strain relationship of mechanical adobe brick masonry was analyzed, where the conventional formula was revised to calculate the average compressive strength and bearing capacity. The experimental results showed there was splitting along the vertical ash joints and mostly ductile failure in the compression specimens of mechanical eco-modified adobe brick masonry. By contrast, the shear specimen of un-modified adobe brick masonry was mainly manifested as the double-sided shear failure along the interface between mud and adobe, where the failure was characterized by high instantaneity. Furthermore, the compressive and shear strength of mechanical adobe brick masonry increased by 23% and 17%, respectively, after the addition of eco-modified materials. In addition, the ductility of mechanical eco-modified adobe brick masonry was 7% higher than that of un-modified one. A compressive constitutive model was well fitted with the geometric feature points of stress-strain curves for the mechanical eco-modified adobe brick masonry, particularly meeting the characteristics of smooth and continuous curves at the peak points. Obviously, the constitutive equation was fully suitable for the mechanical unmodified and eco-modified adobe brick masonry, especially for numerical simulation. Additionally, the formula of compressive strength was well suited to the mechanical unmodified and eco-modified adobe brick masonry, when the parameter 1 k was 0.42 and 0.459. Correspondingly, the resulting data using the revised formula was all relatively larger than that of the theoretical calculation. In any way, the updated formula can reserve the specimen in a large range of safety, together with excellent applicability for the rural revitalization in northwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents shake-table tests which were performed on two 1:3 reduce-scaled adobe masonry models confined with vertical and horizontal bands. The model AM1 consisted of bands (tie beam) at sill, lintel and eave levels, and lightly reinforced concrete (RC) columns at the corners. The model AM2 was similar to AM1 except that RC columns at the corners were not provided in this model. The models were subjected to sinusoidal base motions for studying their seismic performance. The lateral force-deformation capacity curves for both the models were developed and were bi-linearized to compute the response parameters including stiffness, strength, ductility and response modification factor (R). Seismic performance levels of both the models were defined and their seismic performance assessment was carried out to evaluate their suitability in different seismic zones. The use of vertical columns in the AM1 model considerably increased its lateral strength as compared to the AM2 model. Although R factor of 2.0 has been recommended for both the models, seismic performance of the AM1 model was found better in all seismic zones due to high lateral strength of this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of marine (tides and waves) and fluvial processes determines the sedimentary fill of coastal systems in the fluvial-tomarine (FTM) transition zone. Despite frequent recognition of tidal and wave influence in modern and ancient systems, our understanding of the relative importance of marine processes and their impact on mud deposition and reservoir architecture is limited. This study combined subsurface field observations and numerical simulations to investigate the relative importance of river flow, tides, waves, and mud input in governing the sedimentary fill in funnel-shaped basins along the FTM transition. Model simulations show a self-forming bar-built estuary with dynamic channels and sandy bars flanked by mud flats, which is in agreement with trends observed in nature. From three-dimensional virtual sedimentary successions, statistical tendencies for mud distribution and thickness were derived for the spectrum of marine and fluvial processes, and these values provide quantitative information on the net-to-gross ratio and mud architecture. The relative influence of marine and fluvial processes leads to a predictable facies organization and architecture, with muddier and more heterogeneous sediments toward the flanks. For the first time, our simulations allow the sedimentary fill in basins along the FTM transition to be related explicitly to hydrodynamic conditions, providing new insights into the morphosedimentary evolution of coastal systems, with implications for sequence stratigraphy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adobe constructions account for a significant portion of the built heritage, associated with early building techniques, material accessibility and low-cost. Nonetheless, adobe buildings, due to their low mechanical properties and overturning resistance, are subject to early structural damage, such as cracking, separation of structural elements and, possibly, collapse in areas of high seismic hazard. The lack of maintenance and absence of adequate retrofitting techniques usually intensifies the loss of historic fabric. The current paper, aims at the structural assessment and seismic safety, in current conditions, of the Church of Kuño Tambo, a religious adobe structure of the 17th century, in Cusco region, in Peru. The inspection and diagnosis involved sonic testing and damage mapping, while ambient vibration tests revealed the modal response of the structure. The assessment of seismic vulnerability, together with the necessity of retrofitting measures were verified through nonlinear static and pushover parametric analyses, complemented with a macro-block limit analysis and a performance based assessment, under local seismic criteria. A more realistic response from dynamically induced ground motions was performed, by a nonlinear time history analysis, according to the Eurocode 8 framework. Through an integrated approach, in situ inspection, testing, numerical and analytical modelling are associated under the scope of reproducing the existing structural damage, the sequence of inelastic behavior and verification of the necessity of retrofitting measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the use of clay-based grout injections for the repair of adobe masonry constructions. Relevant data from the literature is reviewed, whilst the effectiveness of a laboratory-prepared clay-based grout is assessed through an experimental program. A 1:2 scaled adobe model building, previously subjected to a series of lateral loading cycles resulting in significant cracking damage, was injected with the clay-based grout and re-tested. The mix design of the aforementioned grout was based on the use of the same soil composing the earth masonry materials, hence ensuring compatibility between repairing and original materials. Although the grouting repair did not significantly alter the observed damage pattern after re-testing, it generally succeeded in preventing failure propagation through the injected crack paths. Furthermore, the injection of clay-based grout proved to be a repair technique capable of partly restoring the initial stiffness and load-bearing capacity of adobe masonry. The high strength recovery ratios recorded under the tests using static monotonic horizontal loading are particularly encouraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present hydrocode simulations of penetration and perforation of adobe targets by high-hardness spherical steel projectiles. For the description of adobe we employ the RHT concrete model, which describes strength and failure depending on pressure, Lode angle, and strain rate in combination with a porous equation of state. In order to apply this model to adobe we develop a parameter set partially based on material test data. Other parameters are obtained through engineering assumptions, and their importance is assessed by sensitivity analyses. Ballistic reference experiments are reproduced well by our simulations especially regarding residual velocities of projectiles perforating finite-thickness targets. Therein, we also properly capture the deformation of the projectile and the damage of the target. Simulations of the penetration into semi-infinite targets are in acceptable agreement with the ballistic data. However, a significant influence of target setup and boundary conditions on the resulting penetration depths is discovered. The residual velocities obtained by perforation simulations do not show such sensitivity but considerably depend on the yielding threshold of the projectile. Hence, the latter property of the projectile must be correctly included in the simulation in order to be able to draw conclusions on the ability of the material model and the model parameters to describe the target. As for other building and geological materials, the pore compaction is revealed to be an important form of energy dissipation also for adobe and is hence an essential ingredient for the description of the ballistic performance of this material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, more than 100 million people live in earth-based dwellings currently. However, there have been few studies on measures for improving indoor thermal environment and decreasing energy consumption of adobe buildings systematically. So, this paper studied the measures mentioned above. Firstly, parameters such as indoor thermal environment, PMV, thermal properties and thermodynamic disfigurement of building envelope were measured and analyzed on a quadrangle adobe dwelling in Gansu, China. Then, three optimization schemes (transforming layout only, transforming external walls only and changing the two simultaneously) were put forward. Finally, the thermal environment and energy consumption of the optimization schemes were analyzed by numerical simulation, and the cost benefit analysis of them was carried out. Among those schemes, scheme of changing layout and external walls simultaneously leads to the best performance in both the two respects mentioned above, while scheme of transforming layout only gives the worst performance. But, when both taking consideration of economy and energy saving, the preferred plan is scheme of changing layout only, and the worst is scheme of transforming layout and external walls simultaneously. This study has been conducted to give guidance when constructing or reconstructing quadrangle adobe dwelling, which is distinctive and historical in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building with earth is widespread and still mostly based on traditional experiences. Increasing demands in energy consumption reduction during the construction and exploitation of buildings put more and more in the focus the good features of houses built with earth.Testing of earth mixtures with other natural materials showed that it can get even a quality of bricks, which indicates the lack of appropriate standards for this type of construction. Testing are performed with mixes of earth and straw intended forrammed earth and adobe construction. This method of preparation and construction applies in alternate construction with straw bales and it is also used in the construction of prefabricated panels with wooden frame filled with a mixture earth and straw where it is possible to build prefabricated structures or as a filling of wall screens in skeletal structural system of larger dimensions and number of floors. Laboratory tests have shown that the mechanical and thermal properties of this material fulfilled the high demands for the construction of modern buildings. Based on the presented results it can proceed the development and testing of structural elements for that kind of building. Also, based on results, in the article the authors presented possibilities of architectural design of various building possibilities of objects, as practical examples of prefabrication applied in some countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the unsaturated shear strength properties of a soil with the gradation characteristics of the material typically used in adobe construction. The main goal was to predict the unsaturated shear strength of the adobe soil using the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) and the effective cohesion and friction angle of the material. Specimens were trimmed from adobe bricks made according to the traditional technique of the southwestern region of the United States. The SWCC of the adobe soil was constructed using data obtained with the filter paper test. The effective cohesion and friction angle were found to be 11.7 kPa and 31.4°, respectively, from the results of consolidated drained direct shear tests. In addition, unconsolidated undrained direct shear tests were done on specimens at different water contents to determine the apparent shear strength parameters. The predicted shear strength was found to increase significantly with decreasing water content, and the strength increase was approximately 350 kPa between near saturation condition and water content of 6.01%. The predicted failure envelopes in the shear strength–matric suction plane were nonlinear; their initial slope was close to the (saturated) effective friction angle, and the slope decreased as the suction increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Aveiro district, Portugal, adobe was a construction material extensively used until the middle of the twentieth century. Presently, many adobe constructions are still in use, presenting important cultural, social, and architectural value. Many of these constructions, however, are in a poor state of conservation, displaying severe structural anomalies. This negligence is in part due to a lack of knowledge concerning the mechanical behavior and properties of adobe masonry. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this knowledge. Ten full-scale adobe wall panels were constructed in the laboratory with adobes collected from an existing construction and with mortar formulated with the composition traditionally used. Five wall panels were tested in simple compression and five wall panels in diagonal compression. From these tests it was possible to determine and evaluate the stress-strain relationships, strength, deformation, stiffness, and damage pattern of the adobe masonry walls. This knowledge can support the adequate rehabilitation and retrofitting of existing buildings, the calibration of numerical models, and even the design of new adobe constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The target of this study is to systematically collect soil based adobe blocks that are obtained as the result of the excavations and to develop the methods of examination of that material. In line with this target, within the scope of the restoration project for the temple, which has been exposed in Ayanis Fort excavations, which is 500 m northern of Van Province, Ayanis/Agarti Village, the geological and chemical structure of the soil based adobe blocks has been analyzed with SEM/EDS and XRD methods, the adobe material combination has been interpreted and preliminary intervention principles and restoration project have been prepared for the excavation pits with the purpose of in-situ conservation/freezing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adobe is one of the oldest construction materials that is still used in many seismic countries, and different construction techniques are found around the world. The adobe material is characterized as a brittle material; it has acceptable compression strength but it has poor performance under tensile and shear loading conditions. Numerical modelling is an alternative approach for studying the nonlinear behaviour of masonry structures such as adobe. The lack of a comprehensive experimental database on the adobe material properties motivated the study developed here. A set of a reference material parameters for the adobe were obtained from a calibration of numerical models based on a quasi-static cyclic in-plane test on full-scale adobe wall representative of the typical Peruvian adobe constructions. The numerical modelling, within the micro and macro modelling approach, lead to a good prediction of the in-plane seismic capacity and of the damage evolution in the adobe wall considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper evaluates the failures of masonry and adobe buildings during the June 23, 2011, Maden (Elazığ) earthquake. Maden is a township approximately 80km away from Elazığ city in Turkey. The magnitude of the earthquake was announced as ML =5.3 by the Earthquake Division of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (DEMA). Most of masonry and adobe buildings in Maden and the neighboring settlements had been damaged severely at this moderate earthquake. In this paper, reasons of damages and failures of these structures which are lack of engineering services were examined and explained in detail. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The first aim of this paper is to provide an illustration of fabric survey, damage assessment, and structural consolidation of the mud brick structures of Al Ain, an oasis in the United Arab Emirates. The buildings mostly date to the turn of the last century and it was concluded that damage of such vernacular architecture is represented by thermal movement, structural cracks, leaning walls, granular disintegration, erosion and creation of preferential channels, and coving. Furthermore, damage caused by animals and by recent interventions was also surveyed. The second aim of the paper is to illustrate the structural consolidation of mud brick masomy by explaining the work undertaken in the mosque of Al Jahili (1891-1898). This includes eroded wall repair, window filling, repair of cracks with the stitching technique, wall top consolidation, and roof repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a densely packed, streetless village such as Neolithic Çatalhöyük in central Anatolia, it is argued in this article that variations in mudbrick recipes were used to mark social identity and autonomy through the performance of building. Geoarchaeological analysis of mudbricks established that cultural modifications were used to create social differences between neighbouring houses. Although mudbricks were ultimately invisible objects, hidden behind multiple layers of plaster, the processes of mudbrick manufacture and house construction were performed in the public domain allowing opportunities for individual expression. These results are situated within a larger practice of hiding and burying meaningful objects at Çatalhöyük, where unseen objects had as much power and affect as any object on display. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates patterns in the process of construction during a period of urbanization early in the Middle Bronze Age of the southern Levant. Detailing the manufacture and use of sun-dried mud bricks in this period's architecture, this study presents a hypothetical reconstruction of urban building processes based on data collected and analyzed from three case-study sites: Dan, Megiddo, and Pella. A number of important considerations are discussed as part of this reconstruction, such as strategies of brick manufacture, rates of labor, and costs of construction. Straw temper used in brick manufacture is highlighted as a particularly important aspect of the construction process, since it provides a tangible connection between the agricultural system and the mud bricks that form the building blocks of urban architecture. Likewise, the chaîne opértoire of the construction process links such varied components of urbanization as monumental architecture, rural agriculture, and people, while the analyses and reconstruction presented in this study help render such components perceptible within the archaeological record by looking at issues of specialized production and standardization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of earthen sites poses challenging questions regarding conservation methods and historic preservation. The National Park Service and other site managers have to strike a balance between conserving the sites while presenting them to the public: there is no ideal choice. It is impossible to prevent a ruin from continuing to deteriorate without changing its appearance or its status as a ruin. Therefore, the conservation of historic earthen ruins should perhaps be more appropriately thought of as a process which slows the pace of decay, rather than suspending or preventing it. This paper looks at over one hundred years (from 1889 to the present) of site conservation at a variety of earthen historic and archaeological sites in the American Southwest. In each case, the National Park Service manages and treats the earthen ruins. The main categories of conservation techniques, and the preservation questions that these techniques raise, are examined along with their advantages and disadvantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The knowledge of the morphological and mechanical properties of masonry walls is very important for the refurbishment of ancient buildings, particularly when the requirements of both structural safety and historical preservation must be fulfilled. The masonry is not of homogenous material: its mechanical properties depend on stones, mortar, and texture which are very variable due to their dependence on the historical periods and the geographical area of the erection. For this reason, a deep knowledge of masonries built in different sites and historical periods is essential in order to evaluate both the capacities of bearing vertical load and the seismic vulnerability of the masonry structure. Three fundamental typologies of tuff masonry have been defined: they are the characteristics of different historical periods from the XVI to the XX century. The models are in full-scale in order to reproduce the three defined chronotypes. Original tuff stones quarried in the corresponding historical period, mortars similar to the original ones, reproduced according to ancient documents and original constructive techniques have been used for the construction of the specimens. Compression tests performed in displacement control have been carried out on the masonry models in order to determine the maximum resistance of the material and the corresponding strain, the ultimate strain and corresponding residual strength. In this paper, the procedure used for making the specimens and for experimentally evaluating the mechanical properties of post-medieval Neapolitan yellow tuff masonry are illustrated and the obtained results, even in terms of plastic capacity of these kinds of masonry, are reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Adobe is a construction technique that uses raw earth mixed and moulded to form sun-dried blocks to realize a bearing wall. The recent discovery of adobe walls belonging to a Republican domus sited in Suasa (Ancona, Italy) was the starting point of the present work. The research was developed through an experimental approach, in order to characterize the mechanical behavior of this type of walls: firstly some adobe blocks similar to the original ones were reproduced by using the soil directly came from the archaeological site near the adobe walls and adding straw to reduce hygrometric shrinkage and coarse sand, taken from a local quarry, as a stabilizer, as Romans were used to do. Then, after a seasoning period of 4 months, four adobe walls were produced to be tested by compression and shear. From compression tests, maximum strength, first cracking compression stress, Young modulus and breaking manner were evaluated. As well, compression results show a possible two-storey structure of the earthen Republican domus. In fact, it appears that the stress from the two-storey load analysis is lower than the first cracking compression stress. From the shear tests, a proportional law seems to regulate the relation between the maximum value of the mean tangential tensions and the vertical compression the sample is subjected to. This could be the starting point for a future seismic analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cerrillos is an Early to Middle Paracas civic-ceremonial site located in the upper Ica Valley of Perú. The site is known for its finely plastered adobe architecture, beautifully decorated ceramics, and complex textiles, many of which are decorated with camelid hair. Cerrillos was located in a strategically important place where the mountains meet the coastal desert and the Ica River bends south, a likely intersection in a road system that connected Cerrillos to contemporary sites in the Paracas region and beyond. This paper focuses on several early textiles, ceramics, and other artifacts, including ceramic palettes used for gold working and wooden earspools, that suggest that Cerrillos was involved in a cultural phenomenon or interaction sphere that linked sites as far away was Chavín de Huántar through the interchange of goods, beliefs, and practices. The paper presents a complete description of the textiles excavated at Cerrillos between 1999 and 2002, focusing on two fabric fragments with images of the Staff Deity and one with an abstract Chavín-like design. The ceramics discussed in the text demonstrate the wide variety of styles found at Cerrillos, including some that resemble the Janabarriu of Chavín de Huántar and several others that are either not Paracas or an Early Paracas style that has never been previously described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a first synopsis of the research that we have realized at the Templete de Limoncarro recognized as a site of the Cupisnique culture. At this Templete we have excavated five times and identified two phases of construction. The structures of the first phase, La Calera, are very few, while at the second phase, Limoncarro, are constructed a sunken court and three platforms, which are the objects of frequent repair. Some structures of conic adobe at the platforms represent faces of animals, which seems to be of the Cupisnique iconography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A masonry and adobe construction called the "Area I Palace" was excavated by the authors at the site of El Palenque (SMT-11b), located near San Martín Tilcajete in the Ocotlán district of the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. The Area 1 Palace covered 850 m² and consisted of nine interconnected structures, one of which was an elaborate residence that measured 16 m by 16 m and had eight rooms arranged around an interior patio. Several additional platforms and two paved courtyards were probably more ceremonial in nature. There is evidence that multiple work groups were involved in the construction of the palace. The associated ceramics and four radiocarbon samples indicate that the palace was built at the beginning of the Late Monte Albán I phase (300-100 B.C.) and abandoned in the first century B.C. It is argued that the Area I Palace is one of earliest known examples of a Zapotec quihuitào or royal palace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo habla de las construcciones sociales con adobe en el barrio Crescencio Valdés del municipio de Camajuaní, Villa Clara, Cuba. En 1999, se implementó el Proyecto de Investigación Internacional «Desarrollo del adobe estabilizado y su Tecnología Constructiva para Cuba». El proyecto analizará el adobe estabilizado y sus beneficios en la construcción de edificios en el área.

This article provides information on Willa Cather's personal copy of her novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop." The author suggests that signs--including her signature on the front end paper and her name printed in the illustration of a cumulus cloud by artist Harold von Schmidt, who illustrated the edition--placed by Cather on the contents page of the book made the copy into a personal scrapbook. The author debates the reasoning for Cather's attraction to the illustrated printing. Other items found within the book are discussed, including a photograph of Kit Carson, a letter to Cather by Agnes Thompson, and a photograph of an adobe church.

Spanish colonial settlement of the Moquegua valley of far southern Peru was oriented economically toward production of wine and brandy. A total of 130 wine hacienda sites (bodegas) can be identified there, primarily on the basis of adobe structures on hills bordering the valley. These sites had both residential and ‘industrial’ functions, and their arrangements can be described by four site plans or layouts. This article describes the ‘industrial’ sectors of the sites, particularly the facilitiesfor wine and brandy making (crushing tanks, rooms holding earthenware fermentation jars, distillery apparatus) and the functionally ‘specialized’ site plan. Facilities were arranged spatially to incorporate gravity flow in moving liquids. The technology and organization of wine-making at the Moquegua sites evince similarities not only with Spanish models, but also with much earlier Roman wine-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For thousands of years, people throughout the world have built homes, communities and temples using earth materials, mainly in arid and semi-arid lands where generally other building materials were quite scarce. In the arid regions of Peru, from the 3rd millennium B.C. to Inca age, several civilizations shaped sand, clay and water into bricks (known as adobe) to build ceremonial centres, pyramids and towns. The detection of adobe archaeological buried remains by means of remote sensing techniques is a challenge as difficult as engaging, since the adobe has a composition quite similar to the neighbouring earth material. In this paper, Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery have been used to identify archaeological features linked to the presence of shallow and outcropping adobe structures in some test sites selected from within the Ceremonial Centre of Cahuachi (Southern Peru). Both vegetated and non-vegetated areas were investigated. The promising results we obtained pointed out that the use of Earth Observation (EO) technologies can open new perspectives to detect adobe settlements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]