Bubble Column

Bubble Column

Renewable	Yes
Stackable	?
Tool	None
Blast resistance	100
Hardness	?
Luminant	No
Transparent	Yes
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No

A bubble column is a block generated by placing magma blocks or soul sand in water (source). Bubble columns push or pull entities and items in certain directions.

Obtaining

Breaking

Bubble columns cannot be obtained as an item,‌^{[Java Edition only]} and can be placed only by a block-placement command such as /setblock.

In Bedrock Edition, it may be obtained as an item via inventory editing, add-ons, or bugs.

Natural generation

Java Edition bubble column. (Click to see the animation)

When generating the world, caves, ravines and underwater ruins generate below the water surface. When lava generates in the former two, some lava is converted to obsidian, and some to magma blocks, which create bubble columns. All bubble columns generate bubble column blocks until the column reaches the surface of the water or a solid block above the magma block.

Post-generation

When a magma block is placed underwater, a whirlpool bubble column is generated.

When soul sand is placed under source water blocks, an upward bubble column is generated.

Usage

Players or any other air-breathing mobs can enter a bubble column to replenish their air supply, at the same speed that they would when they leave the water entirely. Water-breathing mobs avoid bubble columns because they suffocate if trapped in one. A bubble column is destroyed when moved by a piston. Bubble columns propagate only through water source blocks, stopping at any non-source block or waterlogged block. The height of a bubble column is limited only by the water's surface or by any obstructing blocks underwater.

Bubble columns cannot be created in downward flowing water. Placing a kelp plant in downward-flowing water converts it into a source block.^[verify]

Whirlpool

A whirlpool, or downward bubble column, is the most common type that generates in the Overworld, often originating from magma at the bottom of underwater canyons. A whirlpool can be identified by the presence of air bubbles wandering downward. They drag entities downward. A boat ridden over a whirlpool shakes and eventually sinks if kept above the whirlpool for too long. A whirlpool has a vertical range of 86 blocks.

Upward

Upward bubble columns can be identified by the presence of vertically rising air bubbles. An upward bubble column accelerates entities upward. The longer an object rises through the bubble column, the faster it travels. At high enough speeds, players and entities can be launched out of water by several blocks. Sitting on the surface above a rising bubble column causes entities to bounce upward repeatedly by about 1 block. A player inside a rising bubble column can swim downward against the current, but very slowly.

Transport

Entities move at a speed of approximately 11 blocks (meters) per second when ascending a bubble column or 4.9 blocks per second when descending a bubble column.

Sounds

Sound	Subtitle	Source	Description	Namespaced ID	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Bubbles pop	?	?	block.bubble_column.bubble_pop	subtitles.block.bubble_column.bubble_pop	0.1	?	16
	Bubbles flow	?	?	block.bubble_column.upwards_ambient	subtitles.block.bubble_column.upwards_ambient	0.6	?	16
	Bubbles woosh	?	?	block.bubble_column.upwards_inside	subtitles.block.bubble_column.upwards_inside	0.7	?	16
	Bubbles whirl	?	?	block.bubble_column.whirlpool_ambient	subtitles.block.bubble_column.whirlpool_ambient	0.6	?	16
	Bubbles zoom	?	?	block.bubble_column.whirlpool_inside	subtitles.block.bubble_column.whirlpool_inside	0.7	?	16

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Namespaced ID	Form	Translation key
Bubble Column	bubble_column	Block	block.minecraft.bubble_column

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Namespaced ID	Numeric ID	Form	Translation key
Bubble Column	bubble_column	415	Block	tile.bubble_column.name

Metadata

See also: Data values

In Bedrock Edition, bubble columns uses the following data values:

	DV	Description
	0	The bubble column is a whirlpool.
	1	The bubble column is upwards.

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
drag	true	false true	Determines whether the bubble column is upward or whirlpool.

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
drag_down	0	0 1	Determines whether the bubble column is upward or whirlpool.

History

November 18, 2017					Bubble columns were shown in a video clip during MINECON Earth 2017. At the time, magma bubble columns rose upward.
Java Edition
1.13		18w07a			Added bubble columns.
		18w08a			Bubble columns now generate in underwater ravines.
		18w09a			Bubble columns now generate in underwater ruins.
Bedrock Edition
1.5.0		beta 1.5.0.4			Added bubble columns.
		beta 1.5.0.7			Bubble columns can now be toggled to look similar to Java Edition, but only for devices that can handle them.
Legacy Console Edition
TU69		1.76	Patch 38		Added bubble columns.

Issues

Issues relating to "Bubble Column" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery

• 

  Bubble columns naturally generated as part of an underwater ruin.

• 

  Bubble columns created by placing magma blocks under water.

• 

  A player inside of an upward bubble column.

• 

  A bubble column shaking a boat ridden by the player. (Click image to view the animation)

Java Edition

• 

  A naturally occurring upward bubble column, generated using Buffet mode. The soul sand generated underwater.

Bedrock Edition

• 

  An upward bubble column in Bedrock Edition with fancy bubbles disabled.

• 

  Bubble columns seen in an underwater ruin in Bedrock Edition with fancy bubbles disabled.

• 

  Bubble columns created by soul sand and magma block in Bedrock Edition with fancy bubbles disabled.