The search for Gneiss!!

[Remnant 0]

So i've found pretty mch everything i need to progress out of the copper age, But i can't find silver or graphite for the life of me! XD After reading the wiki again i'm thinking my best bet is to try to find Gneiss stone and search around that stone type........but i can't find any and i've searched south to the equater and roughly 10k blocks in the other directions from my base. I know going great distances is normal to find things, but i feel i missing something. Any advice guys? XD

[Kittychanley 1,002]

Gneiss is a metamorphic stone, meaning that it can spawn in both the middle and the top layers. Try taking a core sample down to the middle layer every 1,000 blocks or so if you haven't been checking it already.

[Remnant 0]

i'll have to do that. I've been just running around looking for the stone item on the ground XD

 

thank you for replying Kitty!

[Kittychanley 1,002]

i'll have to do that. I've been just running around looking for the stone item on the ground XD

 

thank you for replying Kitty!

 

Stock up on ladders for the journey! The fastest way to take a core sample is to stand in the middle of two blocks, and dig straight down, making a 2x1 hole. You don't have to worry about falling into any lava pools or caves below, as you will always be standing on one block. Digging into a large cave might cause a cave-in though, so keep an ear out for bats, and the rumbly noise of stone falling while you dig. Once you hit middle layer, use the ladders to climb back up (takes just under a stack on average). Once you climb back up to the surface, place a second ladder on the block across from your very top ladder, and then you should be able to put dirt on top of them to cover up the hole to prevent future accidents.

[Remnant 0]

Oh! i hadn't thought to cover the hole to prevent falls. Thank you for that advice I'm going to give this method a try later on my next adventure

[munin295 18]

… The fastest way to take a core sample is to stand in the middle of two blocks, and dig straight down, making a 2x1 hole. …

Almost twice as fast, and half as many ladders to get out:

Dig down two blocks and place a ladder in the bottom block. Repeat in a spiral (zig-zag will work too but I find a spiral requires less thinking).

Stand on top of a ladder when digging down to avoid falls and the mining slowdown of sneaking on a ladder. You can exit the hole by jump-climbing.

If the hole was a bust, you might be able to recover some ladders by turning rocks into cobblestone and jump-stacking at the bottom.

[Kittychanley 1,002]

Almost twice as fast, and half as many ladders to get out:

 

That method makes me dizzy, which is why I don't use it. 

[Regnilse 21]

Hypothetically if you were digging down in a 2x1 hole and you were above a cave, couldn't that cause a cave in and your 2x1 hole to go with it?  Not saying this is a bad method, its minecraft 101, but its still a possibility.

[Thrainn 2]

Don't cave-ins just happen when mining from below or from the sides of blocks? O.o

If you can cause a cave-in even when mining the top of a block, that really seems a little too much, don't you think?

[Regnilse 21]

Agreed,

 

it use to be like that, maybe still is but there are lots of changes to cave ins

[Kittychanley 1,002]

Hypothetically if you were digging down in a 2x1 hole and you were above a cave, couldn't that cause a cave in and your 2x1 hole to go with it?  Not saying this is a bad method, its minecraft 101, but its still a possibility.

 

Yes, but cave in's usually propagate sideways, and not up. Hence why my original post says "Digging into a large cave might cause a cave-in though, so keep an ear out for bats, and the rumbly noise of stone falling while you dig."

 

If you cause a cave in while digging straight down, it is much more likely that you will trigger it while you are still a few blocks up, and it won't spread to the point of caving in the blocks directly under your feet.

[Thrainn 2]

So mining a block from above really can cause cave-ins? I'm still not clear about this matter ...

[Remnant 0]

So taking core samples the way Kitty suggested has actually helped me find ore viens i can use MUCH closer to my base, but still have yet to find gneiss XD I'll find it!.......eventually lol *puts on determinded face*

[Kittychanley 1,002]

So mining a block from above really can cause cave-ins? I'm still not clear about this matter ...

 

Yes. Cave ins are triggered when the block is broken. The block has absolutely no check for which side of the block the tool was used on to break it.

[Regnilse 21]

On a side note can cave ins be triggered by removing support beams, my intuition says no but it would be nice to confirm.

[Kittychanley 1,002]

Cave ins are triggered when the block is broken.

 

"The block" I am referring to is raw stone.

[Thrainn 2]

Yes. Cave ins are triggered when the block is broken. The block has absolutely no check for which side of the block the tool was used on to break it.

This seems a bit off to me, to be honest. If the block you brake isn't supporting something itself, why should it cause a cave-in? Of course you could argue, that realistically every piece of rock adds to the stability, but does it have to be THAT excessive? It really is hard enough as it is.You could make it so that a cave-in is only triggered by raw stone blocks that have at least one block above them, be it more stone or dirt/cobble/sand. A similar mechanic to that which prevents you to chisel stone that has 2 blocks above it.------------------To clarify Regnilse's question: so you could place beams, mine out and remove them again without danger of cave-ins?

[Kittychanley 1,002]

Cave ins are only triggered by raw stone that have enough stone blocks above them, that's why you never see a solid floor turn into cobblestone. However, when you mine a single stone block, it scans an area around it and any blocks in that area have the possibility of caving in if they have blocks above them, and air below them. That scan is what causes a cave in while you are tunneling straight down into a cave. You mine a raw stone block, and another raw stone block below it within range still has raw stone above it, but it has the air of the cave below it, and so it can collapse.

 

Yes, removing of support beams will not cause a cave in. The only way you can ever possibly cause a cave in is if you mine a raw stone block, and it or another raw stone block around it is unsupported. The removal of support beams doesn't update any of the raw stone, so it won't do anything at all, unless you decide to start mining again without replacing the beams.

[Remnant 0]

i love how my thread has become a sort of "safe mining" and "Cave Ins 101 by Kitty"  XD this is really helpful for me as well as i haven't done much mining yet (just finding surface stuff and exposed ores) because i didn't understand cave ins. Thank you guys and thank you Kitty!

[Remnant 0]

so kinda gave up on that world for silver as i searched from X-25,000 Z- 25,000 to the positive range and mainly spent hours just boating everywhere as the ocean was HUGE and apparently my land masses were just big islands. I started a new world and i think the mighty RNG god took pity on me because within 100 blocks of spawn i found silver, gold, hematite, copper, coal and fruit trees AND cows and pigs XD I'm kinda excited about that already LOL