Dripstone (feature)

Speleothems

Biomes	Dripstone caves Ice caves
Generates in existing chunks	No
Consists of	Dripstone Block Pointed Dripstone Packed Ice Water

Dripstone features can be found commonly in dripstone caves and ice caves biomes. There are three types of speleothem feature: large speleothem, speleothem cluster and speleothem (also known as small dripstone).

Description

Speleothems features generate inside large hollows in the dripstone caves and ice caves biome. They can generate in water.

There are three types of speleothem feature:

• The first type is the "large speleothem", which takes the form of either a separated stalagmite and stalactite, or a stalagnate, and is composed of dripstone blocks and packed ice blocks. Stalagnates generate around two positions selected on the floor and ceiling of a cave, which may potentially be separated by several blocks horizontally. The maximum possible size of a large speleothem varies depending on the available space. Can be confused with dripstone cluster generated on noise pillar, but generated with solely dripstone blocks.

• The second type is the "speleothem cluster", a patch of dripstone blocks replacing a section of a cave’s walls, floor and ceiling. Some pointed dripstone blocks will generate hanging from the ceiling and growing on the floor in these patches, attached to the dripstone blocks, forming detailed speleothem growths. Water puddles can also occasionally be found on the floor patches.

• The third type is the "speleothem", which is similar to the dripstone cluster, but only has a single stalagmite or stalactite.

When these types overlap, it results in pointed dripstone generating on the large columns of dripstone blocks.

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Feature type	Identifier
[No displayed name]	large_speleothem
[No displayed name]	speleothem_cluster
[No displayed name]	speleothem

Configured feature	Identifier
[No displayed name]	large_speleothem
[No displayed name]	speleothem_cluster
[No displayed name]	speleothem

Bedrock Edition:

Feature	Identifier
[No displayed name]	dripstone_cluster_feature
[No displayed name]	large_dripstone_feature

Feature	Identifier
[No displayed name]	pointed_dripstone_feature

which is used in:

Feature	Identifier
[No displayed name]	small_dripstone_snap_to_surface_feature

which is used in:

Feature	Identifier
[No displayed name]	small_dripstone_feature

Config

Java Edition:

If type is speleothem_cluster:

{
  "type": "minecraft:dripstone_cluster",
  "config": {
    "chance_of_speleothem_column_at_max_distance_from_center": 0.1,
    "density": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_exclusive": 0.7,
        "min_inclusive": 0.3
      }
    },
    "speleothem_block_layer_thickness": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_inclusive": 4,
        "min_inclusive": 2
      }
    },
    "floor_to_ceiling_search_range": 12,
    "height": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_inclusive": 6,
        "min_inclusive": 3
      }
    },
    "height_deviation": 3,
    "max_distance_from_center_affecting_height_bias": 8,
    "max_distance_from_edge_affecting_chance_of_speleothem": 3,
    "max_stalagmite_stalactite_height_diff": 1,
    "radius": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_inclusive": 8,
        "min_inclusive": 2
      }
    },
    "wetness": {
      "type": "minecraft:clamped_normal",
      "value": {
        "deviation": 0.3,
        "max": 0.9,
        "mean": 0.1,
        "min": 0.1
      }
    }
  }
}

If type is large_dripstone:

{
  "type": "minecraft:large_dripstone",
  "config": {
    "column_radius": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_inclusive": 19,
        "min_inclusive": 3
      }
    },
    "floor_to_ceiling_search_range": 30,
    "height_scale": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_exclusive": 2.0,
        "min_inclusive": 0.4
      }
    },
    "max_column_radius_to_cave_height_ratio": 0.33,
    "min_bluntness_for_wind": 0.6,
    "min_radius_for_wind": 4,
    "stalactite_bluntness": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_exclusive": 0.9,
        "min_inclusive": 0.3
      }
    },
    "stalagmite_bluntness": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_exclusive": 1.0,
        "min_inclusive": 0.4
      }
    },
    "wind_speed": {
      "type": "minecraft:uniform",
      "value": {
        "max_exclusive": 0.3,
        "min_inclusive": 0.0
      }
    }
  }
}

If type is speleothem

{
  "type": "minecraft:speleothem",
  "config": {
    "chance_of_directional_spread": 0.7,
    "chance_of_spread_radius2": 0.5,
    "chance_of_spread_radius3": 0.5,
    "chance_of_taller_dripstone": 0.2
  }
}

History

Announcement

Java Edition

Bedrock Edition

Issues

Issues relating to "Dripstone (feature)" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

• For a brief time in snapshot 21w06a, dripstone clusters were one of the only underground structures that did not generate correctly in negative y levels. This was because the developers initially hardcoded the minimum y level to be 0, intending to change it when changing the world height, then forgot to.^[7]

Gallery

Screenshots

• 
  A large dripstone stalagmite that generated in a cave
• 
  A large dripstone stalactite that generated in a flooded cave
• 
  Two dripstone stalagnates that generated in a flooded cave
• 
  A dripstone cluster on the side of a ravine
• 
  A pointed dripstone column in a dripstone cluster
• 
  A large cave filled with dripstone

Development images

• 
  A geode inside a dripstone cluster
• 
  Debugging pointed dripstone
• 
  Debugging pointed dripstone
• 
  The math behind the shape of dripstone features

References