What does cracked stone mean?

[TamTroll]

was digging around in some granite the other night, trying to prospect for ores while also gathering stones for cobblestone, and i came across a huge patch of cracked granite deep underground. I dug around a bit, found it wasn't any different to normal granite, and was wondering if there was some kind of explanation or reason for it's presence.

is it hiding some ruins or ore somewhere? or is it just random cracked granite for no reason?

[LadyWYT]

It seems to be an aesthetic variant. It may also be more prone to caving in without support, although I can't say for sure as I don't play with cave-ins enabled.

[TamTroll]

ahh okay. No idea if i have cave-ins enabled or not, dug a pretty big hole in the area looking for stuff behind the cracked stone and never had any cave-in, though at the same time i've also had gravel, sand, and mud collapse when stacked too tall.

Edited May 9 by TamTroll

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, TamTroll said:

No idea if i have cave-ins enabled or not, dug a pretty big hole in the area looking for stuff behind the cracked stone and never had any cave-in, though at the same time i've also had gravel, sand, and mud collapse when stacked too tall.

Cave-ins are disabled by default, I do believe. Likewise, sand, gravel, and mud will automatically collapse if you remove the block underneath them, by default. I think you can change these settings at any time though via console commands

[Maelstrom]

Cracked stone is more likely to cave in.  DRAMATICALLY more so.  After a cave in uncracked stone will almost always turn into cracked stone.  Otherwise cracked stone is only aesthetic in nature.  It can be quarried but is not chiselable.