Where to find geodes in Minecraft

Amethyst geodes are one of Minecraft's newest additions, thanks to the 1.17 Caves & Cliffs update. They are natural underground structures that provide materials such as amethyst, smooth basalt, and calcite.

Finding them can be somewhat tricky, as there's no guarantee as to where a geode can generate. Some players have even spotted geodes generating in the ocean and on beaches at certain elevation levels. However, there are certain parameters that geodes must abide by within Minecraft's code, narrowing down the areas that they can potentially spawn.

Minecraft players hoping to find them should stock up on pickaxes and prepare to do some digging, as it may take a while to find and crack a geode.

---

Where geodes can spawn in Minecraft

There are certain parameters that geodes must abide by within Minecraft's code (Image via Mojang)

Along with other structures such as villages or temples, geodes are generated upon the creation of a Minecraft world. Because of this, they generate according to set requirements within the game and don't deviate from these restrictions unless there is some form of bug impacting them. Since Caves & Cliffs is still a relatively new update, bugs are very much still present.

In most instances, geodes will be generated between height levels Y=0 and Y=70, regardless of whether players toggle the "generate structures" option on or off in the world creation settings.

Every chunk within a game world has a slight 1 in 53 chance of generating a geode. This can be helpful for Minecraft players who understand the nuances of chunk boundaries, as they can comb specific chunks for geodes. However, this can be a tedious process.

Additionally, geodes will not override most structures, with the exceptions being generated caverns and mineshafts. It isn't completely out of the realm of possibility to stumble into a geode within or near one of these structures.

With such a large breadth of elevations for a geode to spawn, it will likely take a keen eye and a significant amount of digging to spot one. However, Minecraft players who come across a geode should recognize it quickly.

While picking through the stony depths of a seed, players should keep an eye out for smooth basalt blocks. They retain a blackish color, similar to a black wool block but slightly duller in saturation. Smooth basalt signifies the outer shell of a geode. Geodes themselves are broken into three layers: the outer shell of smooth basalt, a layer of calcite, and the inside composed of amethyst.

Fortunately for players who have spotted a geode, it won't take a particularly strong pickaxe to mine inside. The calcite can even be broken by a wooden pickaxe, though it takes considerably more time than stronger variants. Amethyst also isn't particularly durable as a block or a material (in the case of budding amethyst), so any pickaxe could feasibly do the job when it comes to harvesting the geode itself.

Unfortunately, there's no guaranteed location where geodes will appear, so finding one takes some determination on a player's part and plenty of mining.

Minecraft players who are worried about spotting geodes in version 1.17 and beyond should just keep digging. Geodes may be elusive, but they are definitely out there.

---