Chemical, Mineralogical, and Petrographic Analysis of the Mud Mortar from Fort Ikoma Historical Building in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Abstract

The restoration of historical buildings especially the Fort Ikoma in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania requires knowing the material properties used in their construction by characterizing the composition and properties of the mortar to inform the sustainable restoration strategies. Hence, the objective of this paper was to investigate the chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic analysis of the mud mortar from the Fort Ikoma historical building in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania using appropriate standard methods. The results indicated predominant compositions by weight of mud mortar through chemical analysis were silica (59.82%), alumina (20.42%), and Iron (III) oxide (11.07%), which contributed to the higher pozzolanic activity (91.31%) and cementitious properties (Cementitious Index of 46.76) of the historical mud mortar. Mineralogical analysis revealed that a high amount of quartz (38%), nacrite (17%), and other materials such as albite, chlorite, and nepheline put up the ability of mud mortar to resist environmental pressures. The findings contribute to awareness of historical building materials and provide the technical basis for restoring the Fort Ikoma historical building in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and similar historical buildings.