It is #Minecraftmonday, which means we have a fun lesson for you. Today we are going to be talking about Geology and Mining. In the real world, we mine for natural resources to use such as coal, diamonds, iron and gold. In Minecraft, it is the same idea. Some resources are also in the Minecraft world and will help you craft new items to use.
Mining is the process of extracting useful materials from the earth. Some examples of substances that are mined include coal, gold, or iron ore. Iron ore is the material from which the metal iron is produced.
The process of mining dates back to prehistoric times. Prehistoric people first mined flint, which was ideal for tools and weapons since it breaks into shards with sharp edges. The mining of gold and copper also dates back to prehistoric times.
These profitable substances that are mined from the earth are called minerals. A mineral is typically an inorganic substance that has a specific chemical composition and crystal structure. The minerals are valuable in their pure form, but in the earth they are mixed with other, unwanted rocks and minerals. This mix of rock and minerals is usually carried away from the mine together, then later processed and refined to isolate the desired mineral.
Below is a video of what mining is.
We also found a virtual tour of of a modern Mine that you can check out here.
I wanted to bring you another tour of an old mine. Mines are still used today but not as much. Most have shut down either to the lack of resource or because of how dangerous it is. We, as a world, are working on other resources, which are renewable, that do not harm our planet. There are old mining caves you can visit in your area, or if you are willing to travel.
Now time to Mine in Minecraft. The resources you will be able to mine for are:
- Coal.
- Iron.
- Gold.
- Redstone.
- Lapis lazuli.
- Diamond.
- Emerald.
- Quartz
But there are tricks to mining in Minecraft to get the most from your time.
Coal
- What depth is coal found at? Between blocks 5 and blocks 128.
- Where is coal found at? Every biome in the Overworld.
- Can coal be condensed? Yes, with nine pieces of coal.
- Does coal need to be smelted? No, coal does the smelting.
- What tool do you need? Wooden pickaxe or greater.
Iron
- What depth is iron found at? Between blocks 5 and blocks 64.
- Where is iron found at? Every biome in the Overworld.
- Can iron be condensed? Yes, with nine iron ingots.
- Does iron need to be smelted? Yes, iron ore is smelted into iron ingots.
- What tool do you need? Stone pickaxe or greater.
Gold
- What depth is gold found at? Between blocks 5 and blocks 29, or blocks 80 in badlands.
- Where is gold found at? Every biome in the Overworld, but especially badlands.
- Can gold be condensed? Yes, with nine gold ingots.
- Does gold need to be smelted? Yes, gold ore is smelted into gold ingots.
- What tool do you need? Iron pickaxe or greater.
Redstone
- What depth is redstone found at? Between blocks 5 and blocks 15.
- Where is redstone found at? Every biome in the Overworld.
- Can redstone be condensed? Yes, with nine pieces of redstone.
- Does redstone need to be smelted? No, redstone only needs to be mined.
- What tool do you need? Iron pickaxe or greater.
Lapis Lazuli
- What depth is lapis lazuli found at? Between blocks 14 and blocks 23.
- Where is lapis lazuli found at? Every biome in the Overworld.
- Can lapis lazuli be condensed? Yes, with nine pieces of lapis lazuli.
- Does lapis lazuli need to be smelted? No, lapis lazuli only needs to be mined.
- What tool do you need? Stone pickaxe or greater.
Diamond
- What depth is diamond found at? Between blocks 5 and blocks 12.
- Where is diamond found at? Every biome in the Overworld.
- Can diamond be condensed? Yes, with nine diamonds.
- Does diamond need to be smelted? No, diamond only needs to be mined.
- What tool do you need? Iron pickaxe or greater.
Emerald
- What depth is emerald found at? Between blocks 5 and blocks 29.
- Where is emerald found at? The mountains biome in the Overworld.
- Can emerald be condensed? Yes, with nine emeralds.
- Does emerald need to be smelted? No, emerald only needs to be mined.
- What tool do you need? Iron pickaxe or greater.
Quartz
- What depth is quartz found at? Between blocks 15 and blocks 120.
- Where is quartz found at? The Nether.
- Can quartz be condensed? Yes, with four pieces of quartz. This is irreversible.
- Does quartz need to be smelted? No, quartz only needs to be mined.
- What tool do you need? Wooden pickaxe or greater.
While exploring today, this is what we were able to find. As you can see, it isn’t much and not as easy as it sounds to mine. We would love to hear about your mining success.
