Cave



Caverns or Caves are commonly-found cavities in the Stone layer of a map. Many caverns have tunnels branching off (called catacombs) and winding in other directions, some of which connect to the surface of the map creating natural entries to the cavern. Caverns can be quite deep, extending from the surface all the way to the Bedrock layer, which is impossible to break through. These caverns are randomly generated so no two of them will look exactly alike, making guides hard to be formed. They can sometimes be attached to natural dungeons.

Caverns usually contain at least one type of exposed ore block. Hostile mobs often spawn in naturally occurring caverns so it is advisable to bring along a weapon if on any difficulty other than peaceful.

Caverns can be useful as a starting point for creating player-made dungeons and other underground structures. Since natural caverns have areas of exposed rock, they can save quite a bit of time while searching for ore. However, caverns can be quite deep, like pits, so accidentally breaking into one from above could inflict a lot of fall damage. Players should be aware of the potential presence of lava as it is one of the main risk factors of exploring caverns, even on peaceful.

Pits
A pit is a hole in the ground that falls straight down. Pits are usually found in caverns, or when mining down you may fall into one. Pits are a good way to go farther underground, but are dangerous because they can lead into lava, a dungeon, or the fall may kill the player. It is advised that the player should bring ladders or create a water elevator or stairway before exploring a pit.

Finding Caverns
There are a number of ways to find caverns. Below is a table, designed to make cavern-hunting easier.

Navigating Caverns
Caverns are surprisingly easy to get lost in. Below are a number of methods you can implement while exploring to prevent this.


 * Place all your torches on the right side of the cave when you enter a new passage. This allows you to find you way back to the entrance simply by keeping the torches on your left. However, be aware that if a cave loops back on itself at some point, there can be some confusion as to the shortest way out. Also, it is unlikely that torches restricted to the right side will provide sufficient light to completely prevent mobs from spawning, so you will probably need to place additional torches on the cavern floor in caves and the wider passageways.
 * Use signs to create directional signposts at intersections, often with "ACSII arrows", such as --> or ^, to indicate the heading. Keep in mind that you will need to be able to see these signposts the most on your way back out of the cavern, so when placing them, it is important to position them where they will be easily visible from the other direction. While this method is generally very reliable, signs are not cheap (6 wooden planks and 1 stick per sign), nor do they stack, making it difficult to bring enough signs for anything larger than a medium-sized cavern system.
 * Create cobblestone arrows at each intersection, pointing back towards the passage you just came from. A torch can be placed on the block at the tip of the arrow to ensure that the arrow is easy to spot. This method has the advantage of utilizing a resource (cobblestone) that is common in caverns and easily carried in bulk, making it suitable for aiding in the exploration of even epic-sized caverns. These arrows can be placed on walls or embedded into the floor, and can point in any direction. Similarly to the signpost method, cobblestone arrows should be placed in locations that are easily visible on the way back out of the cavern.
 * When you have finished exploring a cave simply dig upwards to the surface. (This method is not recommended, due to the possibility of falling sand or gravel crushing the player.)
 * A very easy way for players to not get lost in larger and more complex caverns is to carry an abundance of spare-able cobblestone. With players usually having an abundance of picks to gather resources from caverns, a player eventually gathers up cobblestone rapidly. If a player wants to spare some, a skilled player can make cobblestone "walls" to block out unneeded or finished areas of caverns so that they can find exits more quickly. This and the "right-side" torch method work very well hand-in-hand and can guarantee a less confusing exit strategy for players in a hurry to end their cavern run.(Note, a player should only use this method if they have cobblestone they are willing to sacrifice and if they remember their general exit path. Otherwise, this could lead to the player becoming trapped easily.
 * If a player does not use redstone and merely ignores it or collects it, they can make simple "trails" from spare redstone dust to either illuminate (if the player so wishes to use sticks and make torches) or help the player find a set path out of the cave, much like a Hansel and Grethel style of approach to spelunking. (Note, this should only be used if the player is willing to sacrifice their redstone dust or torches and should be only be used if the player has a general idea of where exactly their exit is.) Alternatively, this can be used with mine cart tracks if the player so wishes to.

Classification of Caverns
A cavern can be classified into three kinds of cave systems.

Small Cave (Dud Cave)
Small caves usually contain ores. These are often found near ground level and usually are not closely linked with other caverns. Mini caves may have multiple entrances.

Medium Cave (Splatter Cave)
Larger caves that usually contain plenty of ores and may even contain lakes, dungeons or lava flows. Most of the time, bountiful caves are near other caves, and may require some digging to reach them.

Large Cave (Epic Cave)
Very large cave systems found deep containing every kind of ore, large lakes, and at least one lava river. Very little digging is required to reach its many branches, which cover a huge area underground.

Circular rooms
During the terrain generation process, sometime symmetrical open areas underground of different size that resemble a circle will be generated throughout the map. As they may connect to other caverns, they sometimes are harder to be recognized.

Lava Lakes
Most often found in Large Caves far underground, Lava Lakes generally have the most rare minerals including Lapis Lazuli, gold ore, and redstone ore, sometimes even diamond ore. But Lava Lakes most often hold the common minerals such as iron ore and coal.

Water Lakes
Found in every part of the world at every level underground, Water Lakes are by far the most common lake. Water Lakes occur on the surface, in mere 1-20 blocks below the surface, and from then on to Bed Rock.