How far underneath copper nuggets can ore blocks form?

[Kenneth Romeo Carrington]

I made my way to every place I found copper nuggets. I dug all the dirt in the area, and even mined out some of the stone, yet none had copper underneath. I am about to break my copper pick and feel like I am wasting my time. 

I seriously do not want to have to explore for more surface nuggets, but not finding any ore blocks underneath the surface is equally annoying. How deep do I have to mine?????

[Streetwind]

Up to 12 blocks below the surface, IIRC. Although surface copper rarely ever spawns that deep, other ores that generate surface nuggets might.

 

[Gladi]

You are better of digging straight down and hitting the deposit that way. Also, how did you lose hundreds of pick's durability? 

[Ashery]

2 hours ago, Gladi said:

You are better of digging straight down and hitting the deposit that way.

This is the key point. Ore is guaranteed to spawn directly below any surface nuggets. It might be the first rock layer below the soil, or you might have to dig through several layers of rock, but there will be ore in the exact x and z coordinates that you found the surface nuggets on.

I've actually grown into the habit of not picking up any surface nuggets until I've cleared out the deposit underneath, as the surface nuggets serve as a reminder for how large the deposit is underneath.

[Maelstrom]

I have found surface copper generates no lower than 6 blocks below soil level.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Maelstrom

[Thorfinn]

7 hours ago, Ashery said:

I've actually grown into the habit of not picking up any surface nuggets until I've cleared out the deposit underneath, as the surface nuggets serve as a reminder for how large the deposit is underneath.

I've taken to making it clear where those nuggets were.  A firepit is awesome, and costs only 1 grass. A block of dirt/packed earth or a flower works, too. You just have to make sure to pick up the copper rather than placing the block and destroying the nugget.

Reason being it's pretty common to have somewhere between 20 and 40+ by the end of day, and almost guaranteed by the time your charcoal is ready. That way when I go back to that place, I already have a pick and can clear out the copper.