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Finally... => Creative Projects => Topic started by: Xvareon on May 02, 2016, 01:50:28 am

Title: How would rock types affect underground catacombs?
Post by: Xvareon on May 02, 2016, 01:50:28 am
I'm planning a fanfiction story involving a network of ancient catacombs spread out well over 20 stories deep underneath a ruined castle. The site is located in the middle of a large forest, with a large canyon (complete with water at the bottom) also about 20 stories deep running around it on two sides and partially on a third. I'm assuming the rock type to be mostly sedimentary, though metamorphic might be nice.

Here's the thing, though. I want to avoid just saying 'rock' over and over and actually do something with the type of said rock that the catacombs are hewn out of. Is anyone here knowledgeable about such things? What would be the ideal type(s) of rock you could carve rooms and corridors out of while maintaining solid structural integrity? What rock types could potentially cause you trouble or wear down significantly with age, pressure, and/or erosion? This castle and the catacombs are over 1000 years old, by the way.

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Title: Re: How would rock types affect underground catacombs?
Post by: Xvareon on May 08, 2016, 04:19:11 pm
Bump. (Only once, though.)
Title: Re: How would rock types affect underground catacombs?
Post by: StrawBarrel on May 14, 2016, 12:09:39 pm
Try asking in the small questions thread. (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=113517.0)
I would also recommend checking out the DF Wiki (http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Stone). It helped me visualize things while playing DF.

If you can't find the scientific answers, then you can just leave it vague or have the place be made out of some fantasy rock layers. Unless your character is a stone expert or geologist, it's fine to just describe the setting rather than label it. Write about how the rock feels, its size, its shape, its texture, its color, and such.
Title: Re: How would rock types affect underground catacombs?
Post by: g2knee on May 18, 2016, 03:46:29 pm
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What would be the ideal type(s) of rock you could carve rooms and corridors out of while maintaining solid structural integrity? What rock types could potentially cause you trouble or wear down significantly with age, pressure, and/or erosion?

You may be well off using "sandstone."  It's common, easy to carve (for rock), and there are real-life examples of this.

See this article of a man who carved a home out of sandstone over the course of 10 years:
http://www.boredpanda.com/cave-carving-ra-paulette-new-mexico/

It is a softer sedimentary rock.  That is how one guy could do it in 10 years.  If it was granite instead, it would be a much more daunting task.  Will his house stand 1,000 years?  It very well could -- it's still rock after all!  Sandstone is more prone to erosion than harder rock though.

Here is yet ANOTHER bloke who carved a home for himself out of a cave.  Again, it is sandstone:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6854564/Man-builds-real-man-cave-like-something-out-of-The-Flintstones.html

Lastly, there is the famous underground city in Turkey.  I can't find the specific stone it's carved from -- it just says "soft volcanic rock."  If you do more research you may be able find more info.  The oldest sections seem to be more than 3,000 years old.

Check out some of the pics!
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/incredible-rock-houses-and-underground-cities-cappadocia-001394


Good luck to you!