<HTML>Morris v Doernenburg: Part 11
Part 11 – Chemistry of the Giza Quarries:
Summary: Frank Doernenburg’s remarks concerning the chemistry of the Giza quarries are wrong, another example of his torture of the scientific literature. To make his point, he confuses soluble magnesium salts with insoluble magnesium carbonate.
Frank Doernenburg’s responds, “wrong: on page 193, Klemm states that there are many stones that do not fit to the quarries. In addition, Mg content ranges from 2000 ppm to 18000 ppm, a ratio of 1 to 9, whereas Sr content ranges from 200 ppm to 2200 ppm, a ratio of 1 to 11. One has "washed out" and [sic] excess of Mg or Sr. If you all want to read the sources: Klemm & Klemm, Steine und Steinbrüche im alten Ägypten, Springer 1992, p. 192-195.”
Frank Doernenburg continues with his mistaken ideas about magnesium, adding: “I might add: The chemical fingerprints for the identification of the quarries are measuring strontium against magnesium. These values are typical even in small regions (in Giza, quarries only 500 m apart have different Sr/Mg-ratios). The Klemms have listed the results of several 100 probes of the quarry regions in Giza, which are forming "regions" of typical Sr/Mg-ratios on the diagram, and compared these with same measurements from the pyramid blocks. To fit in, the Geopolymers must have only additional compunds [sic] which do not change the ratios, otherwise the block probes would not fit into the quarry regions in the diagram. Unfortunately, magnesium salts are very solubeable [sic] and are easily washed out (one stone dating technique measures the thickness of the magnesium depleted patina of marble and lime stone) [sic] so i [sic] guess the magnesium content would be out of balance after such a wash-up process for getting the lime silt.”
Margaret Morris replies, Here is a quote directly from Joseph Davidovits, “In limestone the magnesium content Mg accounts for dolomite, a magnesium carbonate that is INSOLUBLE; it is a stone like calcium carbonate, not a soluble salt.” (from my private geopolymer files)
Margaret Morris
August 11, 2001
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