Surface-inside (10 cm) thermal gradients in granitic rocks: effect of environmental conditions

In the present work, we studied the variations in temperature gradients produced between the surface exposed to the exterior environment and the inside of blocks of granitic rocks with different characteristics that form part of the Cathedral of Avila, as a function of climatic factors (temperature, surface energy flows). From a statistical analysis of the data collected, it may be concluded that, except in summer, the temperature gradients between the surface and the inside of the rock (10 cm depth) depend on the interactions between variations in the energy flow crossing the surface of the blocks of stone and the differences between the exterior temperature and that of the surface. In summer, the temperature gradients are directly related to each variable separately.