When it comes to rock excavating, blasting, ripping and breaking have been popular methods to excavate rock and has been a part of construction engineering for X number of years.
In any blasting situation, the geologic structure of the rock mass will be the most important consideration. Other considerations include the degree of scarring that would be acceptable since some areas can tolerate more blasting scars than others, cost, and safety. Remember that blasting cannot be performed in close proximity to populated areas.