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Subterranean Mesa biomes bring the distinctive layered terracotta patterns of surface badlands deep underground.

Overview

Biome ID: SUBTERRANEAN_MESA
Vanilla Replacement: minecraft:dripstone_caves
Color Code: #B87218

Terrain Palette

Subterranean Mesa uses a complex multi-layer system:

Upper Layers (3 blocks deep)

  • Stone
  • Red Sand
  • Smooth Red Sandstone

Middle Layer (2 blocks deep)

  • Red Sandstone

Banded Terracotta Layer (1 block deep)

  • Brown Terracotta
  • Pink Terracotta
  • Terracotta (uncolored)
  • Light Gray Terracotta
  • White Terracotta
  • Orange Terracotta
  • Yellow Terracotta

Deepslate Transition

Below Y-level 7, terrain uses the SUBTERRANEAN_MESA_DEEPSLATE palette.
The banded terracotta layer uses a special expression-based sampler that creates horizontal striping patterns similar to surface mesa biomes.

Features

Subterranean Mesa is primarily defined by its terrain palette and does not include additional feature decorations.

Environment

Subterranean Mesa biomes recreate the iconic look of badlands underground. The layered terracotta creates natural horizontal bands of color that shift as you move through the caves. The red sand and sandstone provide a distinctive desert-cave aesthetic.
The vertical banding pattern is achieved using an expression sampler that offsets Y-coordinates based on X-Z position, creating the characteristic mesa stratification.

Palette Configuration

The terrain generation uses:
  • Upper/Middle Layers: Cellular with domain warp (frequency 0.08)
  • Banded Layer: Expression-based 3D sampler
    • Noise frequency: 0.2
    • FBM offset with 2 octaves
    • Frequency: 0.005
Source: /biomes/cave/substratum/subterranean_mesa.yml:1

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