What is the actual geology? It’s hard to tell from the picture. Appears sedimentary as a whole but seems to be breaking igneous. Big difference for breaking them. Not familiar with the rock where you’re at.
According to the Google:
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Based on your location northwest of Trinidad, you are exploring the steep slopes flanking the Raton Basin. The prominent rock layer shown in your photos is a classic exposure of the Trinidad Sandstone.
Geological Features Visible in Your Photos
• The Rock Type: The massive, blocky, light tan-to-buff colored rock you are standing against is fine- to medium-grained sandstone. Notice how it breaks into thick, flat slabs and large, angular boulders along the trail.
• Depositional Environment: This layer represents ancient beach and shoreline deposits from roughly 68 million years ago (Late Cretaceous). As the vast Western Interior Seaway retreated eastward out of Colorado, it left behind these massive blankets of sand.
• Stratigraphic Position:
• Directly beneath this sandstone layer (further down the slope or hidden under the talus) lies the dark gray Pierre Shale, which formed in deep marine water.
• Directly above this layer (higher up the ridge covered by the scrub oak and pinon pines) is the Vermejo Formation, which contains old coastal swamps, mudstones, and coal beds.
• The White Staining: The prominent white chalky patches coating the rock faces are efflorescent salt crusts (often calcium carbonate or gypsum). They form when rainwater seeps through the porous sandstone, dissolves natural minerals, and leaves them behind as a residue when the water evaporates on the cliff face.
Landscape and Terrain
The aerial drone shots perfectly capture the cuesta landscape typical of the Trinidad area. The hard, weather-resistant Trinidad Sandstone forms a protective shelf or cliff layer. Where it gives way, gravity creates the massive fields of loose rock (talus slopes) that you had to navigate with your UTV.
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According to the Google machine it should break pretty well with a hydraulic breaker but we will see.
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Strategy for a Sandstone Bench Cut
• 1. Attack the "Bottom-Toe" Joint First: Do not start by hammering the top of the rock face. Instead, place the breaker point right at the inside corner where your proposed trail floor meets the vertical hillside (the toe of the slope). Sandstone naturally breaks along horizontal bedding planes. By punching into the toe, you will undermine the rock above it, causing large sections of the cliff face to fracture and drop down onto the trail floor on their own.
• 2. Rake the Fractured Slabs: The Trinidad Sandstone is highly jointed. Before you turn on the hammer for every single foot of advancement, use your excavator bucket to aggressively curl and lift the rock face. You will likely find that the hammer has already pre-fractured the rock several feet deep, allowing you to pry away large, intact blocks without using the breaker at all.
• 3. Beware of "Blank Blasts": Because this sandstone is somewhat compressible, if you hold the hammer down in one spot for more than 15 seconds without the rock cracking, stop. If you keep hammering, the chisel will simply drill a hole, create a pocket of sand cushion, and send destructive shockwaves back up into your excavator's boom, pins, and hydraulic seals. If it doesn't crack quickly, reposition the tool 6 to 12 inches closer to an open edge.
