Ore Generation - belathus/Wanderlust-Renewed GitHub Wiki

Also see here: https://github.com/belathus/Wanderlust-Renewed/issues/147

Notes about the terms used here:

  • Frequency is the number of times a distribution of ore spawns per chunk; a chunk being a 16x16x256 area in the Minecraft world. If this number is less than one, it represents a chance that a distribution (a "vein," if you will) will spawn. For example, a 0.10 frequency has a 10% chance to generate in a chunk, or a 1 in 10 chance. A frequency of 20 will have 20 distributions per chunk.
  • A Motherlode is a roughly spherical distribution of ore. Usually when a distribution contains a motherlode, you'll find a cluster of that ore at the center of the distribution with a specific diameter. Often, ores will branch from this motherlode, which will allow you to find the motherlode if you follow a distribution's branch.
  • The distribution type is usually uniform or normal. A normal distribution means that the ore is most likely to spawn in the middle of its range; a range of 16 to 48 will spawn most often at y level 32. Uniform distribution means that the odds of the vein spawning at 16 is equal to the odds of the vein spawning at 48 and anywhere in between.
  • Sparsity is the chance that the ore will replace the block that was already in the world. Most of the time, sparsity is 100%, meaning once you find a vein, it will be completely full of ore. At lower sparsity settings, however, you might find that a lot of the vein is filled with stone or other ores. A vein with a low sparsity is usually pretty hard to follow, but they're also usually very large veins.

Ores that generate in the overworld:

Vanilla Minecraft

Note that iron ore does not spawn normally.

  • Coal - generates in very large but sparse veins
    • frequency: 0.05 (number of times the vein spawns per chunk)
    • No Motherlode
    • height: 0 to 128
    • Distribution: normal (meaning most ore generates in the middle of the height range)
    • Number of Branches: 1
    • Branch length: 250 to 750 blocks
    • Branch diameter: 6.4
    • Sparsity: 4%
    • Average ores per vein: 643
  • Gold - Spawns in relatively small, branching veins
    • frequency: 0.017
    • Motherlode diameter: 4.75
    • height: 0 to 32 (also spawns between 64 and 160 in mountains)
    • Distribution: normal
    • Number of Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch length: 50 to 150 blocks
    • Branch diameter: 0.9
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: 287
  • Lapis Lazuli - spawns in tall, vertical veins. You may find it near the surface, but the vein reaches nearly to bedrock.
    • frequency: 0.126
    • No Motherlode
    • height: 16 (but branches mostly straight up, usually touching the surface)
    • Distribution: Normal (doesn't matter, though, there is no range)
    • Number of Branches: 1
    • Branch length: 32-64
    • Branch diameter: 1.132
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: 54
  • Redstone - spawns in tall, vertical veins. You may find it near the surface, but the vein reaches nearly to bedrock. Since it spawns lower than lapis lazuli, it will touch the surface a lot less frequently, but it is twice as common.
    • frequency: 0.252 (double the frequency of lapis lazuli)
    • No Motherlode
    • height: 0-16
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 1
    • Branch length: 32-64
    • Branch diameter: 0.930
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: 45
  • Diamond - spawns in lava-filled pipes near bedrock, but the branches reach upward.
    • Frequency: 0.055
    • No Motherlode
    • height: 0-16 (but branches upwards, so you'll often find it higher)
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 1
    • Branch length: 25 to 42
    • Branch diameter: 3.676
    • Sparsity: 4%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Emerald - rarely spawns in silverfish-filled pipes near bedrock, but branches upward. Three times more common in mountain biomes.
    • Frequency: 0.021 (0.064 in mountains)
    • No Motherlode
    • height: 0-16
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 1
    • Branch length: 25 to 42
    • Branch diameter: 3.676
    • Sparsity: 4%
    • Average ores per vein: ?

Ars Magica

  • Blue Topaz - Spawns in rare, but huge clouds underground. Hint ores spawn close to or on the surface, replacing sandstone and dirt (but not grass and sand). Once you find a cloud like this, you'll be set for quite a while.
    • Frequency: 0.001
    • Cloud Diameter: 30 to 70
    • Cloud Thickness: 8 to 20
    • height: 10 to 35
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Sparsity: 10%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Chimerite - Spawns in rare, but huge clouds underground. Hint ores spawn close to or on the surface, replacing sandstone and dirt (but not grass and sand). Once you find a cloud like this, you'll be set for quite a while.
    • Parameters are the same as Blue Topaz
  • Venteum - Spawns in rare, but huge clouds underground. Hint ores spawn close to or on the surface, replacing sandstone and dirt (but not grass and sand). Once you find a cloud like this, you'll be set for quite a while.
    • Parameters are the same as Blue Topaz
  • Liquid Essence - Spawns filling an abyssal stone geode. These geodes are very similar to Railcraft's geodes (they can contain diamond, emerald, and lapis ore, but do so very rarely), but can spawn in locations other than the ocean.
    • Frequency: 0.004
  • Aum - Not technically an ore; this spawn is small "clouds" on the surface.
    • Frequency: 0.005
  • Cerublossom - Not technically an ore; this spawn is small "clouds" on the surface.
    • Frequency: 0.009
  • Desert Nova - Spawns in small clouds on the surface in sandy biomes.
    • Frequency: 0.009
  • Tarma Root - Spawns in caves on top of stone blocks. Spawns anywhere.
    • Frequency: 177.76 (spawns one tarma root at a time)
  • Wakebloom - Spawns in small clouds on the surface in ocean and river biomes.
    • Frequency: 0.009

Evilcraft

  • Dark Ore - Spawns frequently, but usually only individual ores spawn at a time.
    • Frequency: 20 (60 in SPOOKY biomes)
    • Motherlode Diameter: 1
    • height: 6 - 66
    • Distribution: Uniform
    • Number of Branches: 0
    • Branch length: 0
    • Branch diameter: 0
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: 1.2

Forestry

  • Apatite (vein) - generates in very large but sparse veins. Three times more common in FOREST biomes.
    • Frequency: 0.014 (0.042 in FOREST biomes)
    • Motherlode Diameter: 9.9
    • height: 56 to 192
    • Distribution: Uniform
    • Number of Branches: 0
    • Branch length: 0
    • Branch diameter: 0
    • Sparsity: 25%
    • Average ores per vein: 95
  • Apatite (Cloud) - Spawns in very rare, but huge clouds underground. Hint ores spawn close to or on the surface, replacing sandstone and dirt (but not grass and sand). Once you find a cloud like this, you'll be set for quite a while. Five times more common in FOREST biomes.
    • Frequency: 0.0011
    • Cloud Diameter: 33 to 77
    • Cloud Thickness: 9 to 22
    • height: 0 to 128
    • Distribution: Uniform
    • Sparsity: 10%
    • Average ores per vein: ?

ContentTweaker

  • Tin (vein)
    • frequency: 0.0354
    • Motherlode Diameter: 5.3
    • height: 36 to 60
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch length: 71 to 214
    • Branch diameter: 1.091
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: 22 (in motherlode)
  • Tin (cloud)
    • Frequency: 0.0014
    • Cloud Diameter: 50 to 120
    • Cloud Thickness: 13.6 to 34.1
    • height: 10 to 108
    • Distribution: Uniform
    • Sparsity: 10%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Zinc (vein)
    • Same properties as Tin.
  • Zinc (cloud)
    • Same properties as Tin.

Immersive Engineering

  • Aluminum
    • frequency: 0.025
    • Motherlode Diameter: 5
    • height: 40 to 85
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch length: 60 to 180
    • Branch diameter: 1.0
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Copper (cloud)
    • frequency: 0.035
    • Motherlode Diameter: 5.3
    • height: 36 to 68
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch length: 45 to 135
    • Branch diameter: 1.991
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Copper (cluster)
    • frequency: 1.252
    • Motherlode Diameter: 2.966
    • height: 42 to 62
    • Distribution: Uniform
    • Number of Branches: 0
    • Branch length: 0
    • Branch diameter: 0
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: 10
  • Copper (vein)
    • frequency: 0.035
    • Motherlode Diameter: 5.3
    • height: 36 to 68
    • Distribution: Normal
    • Number of Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch length: 45 to 135
    • Branch diameter: 1.991
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Lead/Silver - mixed vein: 70% lead and 30% silver.
    • frequency: 0.022 (0.0625 in mountains)
    • Motherlode Diameter: 4.88
    • height: 8 to 36 (88 to 184 in mountains)
    • Distribution: Normal (Uniform in mountains)
    • Number of Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch length: 55 to 168
    • Branch diameter: 0.965
    • Sparsity: 100%
    • Average ores per vein: ?
  • Nickel
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:
  • Uranium - incredibly rare in the overworld, but more common in wasteland biomes
    • frequency: 0.000845 (0.015 in WASTELAND biomes)
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:

Rockhounding

  • Magnetite - found in non-hot biomes; more common in sandy biomes
    • Frequency: 0.05 (one vein per 20 chunks)
    • Height: 20 to 42 (40 to 72 in sandy biomes), normal distribution
    • Motherlode size: 4 meter radius
    • Branches: 2 to 4
    • Branch Length: 107 to 179 meters
    • Branch Radius: 0.6 meters
    • Density: 100%
  • Hematite - found only in cold biomes
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:
  • Goethite - Somewhat infrequent, but spawns everywhere
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:
  • Limonite - Spawns only in sandy biomes
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:
  • Siderite - Spawns everywhere except wet biomes
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:
  • Taconite - Spawns anywhere, but only above y=70
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
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  • Bog Iron - only spawns in SWAMP biomes
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein:
  • Banded Iron - A low value ore, but incredibly common in HILLS and MOUNTAINS
    • frequency:
    • Motherlode Diameter:
    • height:
    • Distribution:
    • Number of Branches:
    • Branch length:
    • Branch diameter:
    • Sparsity:
    • Average ores per vein: