Altitude is commonly expressed as a number defining the distance in layers above the base of the game environment, which is layer zero (0). Sea Level is recognized as Layer 64, and the top of the game environment is 128. This range of numbers can be expressed in only 8 bits, limits common to many programming languages and applications.
The following table describes the naturally occurring landscape features and the altitudes they can be found at.
| Landscape Feature | Commonly found up to... | Rare between... | None above... | Implement needed for drop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal ore | Layer 128 | Layer 129-1311 | Layer 1321 | Wood or better pickaxe |
| Gravel | Layer 128 | Layer 129-1311 | Layer 1321 | None |
| Dirt | Layer 128 | Layer 129-1311 | Layer 1321 | None |
| Sand | Layer 80 | Layer 81-83 | Layer 84 | None |
| Sea Level | Layer 64 | n/a | n/a | Bucket |
| Iron ore | Layer 64 | Layer 65-67 | Layer 68 | Stone or better pickaxe |
| Gold ore | Layer 32 | Layer 33-35 | Layer 36 | Iron or better pickaxe |
| Lava | Layer 16 | Layer 17-641 | unknown | Bucket |
| Diamond ore | Layer 16 | Layer 17-19 | Layer 20 | Iron or better pickaxe |
| Redstone ore2 | Layer 16 | Layer 17-19 | Layer 20 | Iron or better pickaxe |
| Bedrock/Adminium | Layer 1 | Layer 2-4 | Layer 5 | (Programs and Editors)3 |
1. These points are above the maximum map height, and were extrapolated based on the pattern of (2^n, [2^n]+1 to [2^n]+3, [2^n]+4). Lava, which has been witnessed rarely at the surface seems to break this pattern.
2. Redstone has the same layer and line-size statistics as Diamond, but is generated 8 times per chunk as opposed to 1.
3. Bedrock cannot be manipulated by items within the game world.
Other naturally occurring features appear at different altitudes such as grass, wood, flowers, mushrooms, clay and Obsidian, but all of these features are random and must appear in conjunction with another block and the proper environment to appear.
| Feature | Requires |
|---|---|
| grass | Dirt and Sunlight |
| Reeds | Dirt and Water |
| wood | Dirt and sunlight |
| flowers | Dirt and sunlight |
| mushrooms | Dirt and darkness |
| Clay | Water and Sand |
| Obsidian | Lava and Water |