Which outcome accelerated the degradation of mud brick ziggurats due to capillary action?

💡 Explanation

When groundwater containing dissolved salts rises through the mud bricks by capillary action, water evaporates at the surface, which causes salt crystallization which then exerts pressure within the pores, leading to material disintegration. This results therefore in salt crystallization damage, rather than thermal expansion, wind erosion or seismic damage, each of which operates through distinct mechanisms.

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