Ore vein



An ore vein is an underground terrain feature that provides profound amounts of a single ore.

Structure
Ore veins occur as expansive networks of mixed rock and and an associated ore. Copper veins are composed largely of copper ore and rarely raw copper blocks, and are mostly covered in granite. Iron veins generate with iron ore and raw iron blocks, and are coated with tuff instead of granite.

Ore veins often branch out in many different directions. They curve and meander in a manner similar to spaghetti caves, which they are similar to in their shape and scale. Should a vein intersect with a cave, the player can easily identify it due to the large concentration of ores covering the cave's perimeter. Vein networks can also differ in size and area, with the largest being able to contain more than 32 stacks (2,048 items) of a particular ore.

Generation
Ore veins compensate for their size by being very rare. Copper veins can occur at any Y-level above Y=0, and iron veins can occur anywhere below Y=0. They are overridden by naturally-generated cavities in the ground, such as caves and mineshafts.

Technically, ore veins are a part of cave generation and are not decorators. As a result, they can generate in The Void biome.