Blocky Rock

Blocky Rock 1

Blocky Rock 2

Click on thumbnails for details

The shapes we see sticking out at us  in rock outcrops are determined by where the cracks and fractures are.  That’s where the rock broke most recently, and we’re looking at what’s left. If the rock is very strong, those fractures can be far apart and are often arranged in a roughly rectangular pattern.  This produces outcrops with an angular, building-block appearance.

What kind of rocks end up looking like this?  Quite a few, especially if they’re hard and unweathered.  Igneous rocks like granites and basalts often take on distinctive shapes when they’re weathered, but in freshly blasted cuts, they will appear blocky and angular.  Lots of metamorphic rocks look like this, too—especially the “high grade” ones that have been intensely heated.   Even some of the harder sedimentary rocks like sandstone and limestone will appear blocky in steep, blasted cuts near the tracks.

CVM offers two Rubber Rocks to help you model this part of the landscaped quickly and realistically.