Copperman Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Howdy folks. I'm currently on the hunt for the elusive tin. I've been hot on it's trail a few times, but I am a bit confused as to how common it is or isn't When using the Prospector Pick the absolute highest concentration I have ever found is 0.1% - this means the hottest spot I can find is "High 0.1%" indicating the chance of it spawning is High and 0.1% of the blocks in the area are going to be Cassiterite Have you ever found higher numbers than that? Am I wasting my time looking for a 0.2% or higher? I am not above chewing through 1000 copper pickaxes to mow down a whole chunk if that's the spot, but it'd be embarrassing if there was such a thing as a 5% or whatever. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwind Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) Welcome to the forums "Ultra High" will display 0.2‰. Note: per-mille (‰) not per-cent (%). But - and this is a pet peeve of mine - cassiterite is the prime example why you should ignore the number completely and only go by the abundance adjective. The number is so vastly different between various different ores, doesn't mean what most people think it means, says nothing about the spawn likelyhood of ores, and can give people the idea that there's nothing worth digging for when that's absolutely not the case. Forget that the number exists. Follow the adjective. "High" is the third highest grade, so there are two more steps up. But if "high" is the best you have in your immediate area, then it might potentially be good enough to dig anyway, depending on circumstances. Recall that cassiterite primarily generates in igneous rocks; you can see that in the handbook. As such, if you happen to be in an area where (for example) a top layer of conglomerate covers a middle layer of shale over a bottom layer of granite, your chances to find ore are lessened substantially, and it might be worth looking for a higher reading (or different stone layers) elsewhere. If, however, at least the middle layer is igneous or metamorphic (=> granite, peridotite, andesite, basalt, phyllite, slate), then digging at a "high" reading has a good chance of success. If you spot one of the first three stone types on the top layer, you'll know it is all igneous top to bottom and thus don't even need to check on the exact makeup. Edited March 21, 2022 by Streetwind 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copperman Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Streetwind said: Recall that cassiterite primarily generates in igneous rocks; you can see that in the handbook. As such, if you happen to be in an area where (for example) a top layer of conglomerate covers a middle layer of shale over a bottom layer of granite, your chances to find ore are lessened substantially, and it might be worth looking for a higher reading (or different stone layers) elsewhere. If, however, at least the middle layer is igneous or metamorphic (=> granite, peridotite, andesite, basalt, phyllite, slate), then digging at a "high" reading has a good chance of success. If you spot one of the first three stone types on the top layer, you'll know it is all igneous top to bottom and thus don't even need to check on the exact makeup. Thanks for your reply! I am currently digging a 4x4 staircase down in the high 0.1% Cass spot I located. Currently it seems that the top layer is claystone followed by conglomerate and slate. So this would imply then it may be a bust? Im only at 105 Y so I dont think im very deep Edited March 21, 2022 by AgentKay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copperman Posted March 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Aha! Looks like I am on the right track at last. This was after I hit some Peridotite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwind Posted March 21, 2022 Report Share Posted March 21, 2022 Your bottom layer will always be igneous (and there sometimes may be an extra layer, explaining your findings), so there is always a chance that you'll find something. Cassiterite can spawn that deep. But it's much rarer in the depths than in the middle ranges. ...Ah, I just saw your update while typing. Yep, looks like peridotite is your igneous bottom layer, and you lucked out. Happy bronze day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashery Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 The other thing to bear in mind is that ores have specific z-level ranges they are able to spawn in, usually defined relative to the surface height. Your basic tin deposit spawns within 40-75% of the surface, and a much rarer, larger deposit is possible between 0 (Mantle) and 60%. I wouldn't bother actively seeking out one of the rarer deposits if that's all you're going for, however, as they're 1/70th as common as the basic one. The wiki has all the data listed for the other ores if you're curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts