Rock

Rock
Stackable	64
Material	Andesite, Basalt, Bauxite, Chalk, Chert, Claystone, Conglomerate, Granite, Halite, Kimberlite, Limestone, Marble, Obsidian, Peridotite, Phyllite, Sandstone, Scoria, Shale, Slate, Suevite and Tuff
Drops	Small Stone, Rock
Blocks

Rocks are what form the entire underground of Vintage Story, with large swathes of rock covering different amounts of the surface and underground. Often there are multiple rock types in one location as long as you dig deep enough. Rocks can contain Ore Deposits, which can be used for creating metal or crafting with gemstones.

There is a useful spreadsheet for sharing what ores generate in what types of rock located here.

Natural Generation

Twenty types of rock variants may exist in the world, and are created during world generation. The appearance of each block indicates the type, which dictates its uses and which ore deposits may be found in the rock. As of version 1.9, ores only appear in certain rock types. Examining a rock while holding (Sneak + H), will provide information about which ores can appear in that rock type.

An example of rock layer generation.

There are different formations of rock layers that generate throughout the world. Typically you will have 3 layers of stone in a location, unless the top layer is volcanic, in which case there will typically be 4.

Types of Rock Layer Generation
Max Thickness	Volcanic	Sedimentary	Metamorphic	Igneous
Shield	0	99	99	255
Platform	0	40	10	255
Orogen	0	20	10	255
Basin	0	50	15	255
Large Igneous Province	30	20	99	255
Extended Crust	30	40	99	255

Due to the distortion and mapping of the various rock layers, it is possible to end up with a sedimentary rock layer below an igneous layer, or even 2 igneous layers on top of one another. The table is more a general guideline than a rule.

Rock strata

Different types of rock are found in different places in the world and vary based on geological layers. There are many rock variants: Andesite, Basalt, Bauxite, Chalk, Chert, Claystone, Conglomerate, Granite, Halite, Kimberlite, Limestone, Marble (white, pink cream or green), Obsidian, Peridotite, Phyllite, Sandstone, Scoria, Shale, Slate, Suevite and Tuff. Marble appears as any of the three colors listed in parenthesis, and generates similarly to ore generation. Many of the rocks can be made into cobblestone blocks for each rock, e.g. sandstone cobble, Basalt cobble. Each kind of cobblestone is a different color.

Rock strata, or layers, can be grouped into one of three types: sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous. These categories differ by how these rocks are created. While there are many other types of rock, the rocks in this section are those generated as layers by the game.

Sedimentary rocks

Sedimentary rocks are generally found near the surface, above metamorphic or igneous rock (with the exception of basalt). These are generally softer rocks, making them unsuitable for toolmaking. However, many different types of ores can be found in sedimentary rock, especially lower-tier metals such as copper and the components of various useful alloys like bronze.

Sedimentary rock types are:

• Claystone
• Sandstone
• Chert
• Shale
• Conglomerate
• Bauxite
• Chalk
• Limestone

Metamorphic rocks

Metamorphic rock is usually found under sedimentary rock but above igneous rock. Metamorphic rock types include:

• Phyllite
• Slate
• Marble (found as deposits in phyllite or slate)

Igneous rock

Igneous rock is usually found underneath sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Basalt is an exception to this, as it can appear above any other rock layer. Igneous rocks are hard and well suited to toolmaking, as well as for use in querns. Igneous rock types include:

• Andesite
• Granite
• Peridotite
• Basalt

Harvesting

All rock requires a pickaxe to mine.

Collecting Small Stones

Breaking a block using a pickaxe drops small stones. They are also dropped when destroyed by an ore blasting bomb.

Relieving Stone Blocks

One of the optimal ways to mine full rocks.

Solid stone blocks can be collected through a process called "relieving". To relieve a stone block, break the stone blocks connected to each face of the stone block, such that all six faces of the cube are adjacent to air. Currently, stones do not obey gravity.
You can find a tutorial video farther down, showing how to use the pattern shown to the right effectively ingame.

Uses

Stone Blocks

The quern may only be created from stone blocks including andesite, basalt, granite or peridotite. Stone blocks are used to craft building materials including stone bricks. A polished variant can be created using a hammer and chisel in the crafting grid, and polished stone may also be split to create slabs. It is important to note that some types of stone cannot be polished or used to create slabs, including: Halite, Obsidian, Scoria and Tuff.

Small Stones

Stone tools made by knapping small stones can only be created from andesite, basalt, chert, granite, peridotite, flint or obsidian. Most types of small stones can be used to create construction materials including cobblestone blocks and stone path blocks. It is important to note that some types of stone cannot be used to create cobblestone or stone bricks, including: Halite, Obsidian, Scoria and Tuff.

Special Use Small Stones

Some small stones can be converted to useful powders by crushing with a hammer in the crafting grid, or grinding in the quern.

• Chalk, Limestone, Marble small stone powder creates lime for leather working.
  • Lime powder, when heated are consumed two by two to produces one quicklime used in creating mortar, or plaster blocks.
• Halite small stone powder creates two salt for food preservation.
• Chalk and Limestone small stones may be used (intact) as pigments to label signs.
• Bauxite is used in the Pulverizer to turn into crushed bauxite, which is used to make refractory bricks, required for Steel Making

Stone Type and Use Chart

Volcanic stones
Stone Type	Cobble?	Brick?	Tool?	Quern?
Basalt	Y	Y	Y	Y

Sedimentary stones
Stone Type	Cobble?	Brick?	Tool?	Quern?
Bauxite	Y	Y	N	N
Chalk	Y	Y	N	N
Chert	Y	Y	N	N
Claystone	Y	Y	N	N
Conglomerate	Y	Y	N	N
Limestone	Y	Y	N	N
Sandstone	Y	Y	N	N
Shale	Y	Y	N	N

Metamorphic stones
Stone Type	Cobble?	Brick?	Tool?	Quern?
Phyllite	Y	Y	N	N
Slate	Y	Y	N	N

Igneous stones
Stone Type	Cobble?	Brick?	Tool?	Quern?
Andesite	Y	Y	Y	Y
Basalt	Y	Y	Y	Y
Granite	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kimberlite	Y	N	N	N
Peridotite	Y	Y	Y	Y
Scoria	N	N	N	N
Tuff	N	N	N	N

Special stones
Stone Type	Cobble?	Brick?	Tool?	Quern?
Halite	N	N	N	N
Marble	Y	N	N	N
Obsidian	N	N	Y	N
Suevite	Y	N	N	N

Video Tutorials

voiceless explanation of how to best farm whole stone blocks	tutorial on a block extraction pattern