The Sandstone Quarries of the Angkor Monuments in the Southeastern Foothills of Kulen Mountain

The Angkor monuments in Cambodia were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site and consist of Buddhist or Hindu temples built mainly of sandstone and laterite. We surveyed the area around a 2 km east-west bank in Kulen Mountain’s southeastern foothills for Angkor’s sandstone quarries and confirmed 145 locations. Because the magnetic susceptibilities and size of sandstone blocks at Angkor changed systematically over time, we measured these aspects at each quarry. Based on this data, we identified seven Angkor quarrying areas (Areas A to G). The results clarified that in the Angkor period, sandstone block quarrying began near the bank’s eastern end, then moved counterclockwise to the north side of the bank. Because quarries are important Angkor period heritage sites, they should be designated as conservation areas for their protection.