Minecraft: Java Edition - New Cave Generation!

Development of the Minecraft 1.17 "Caves & Cliffs" update is in full swing, and today the developers released a new snapshot 21w06a for Minecraft: Java Edition, which brings updated cave generation to the game!

Noise caves and aquifers

• Noise caves are a new way of generating caves. They can sometimes be truly enormous!
• Noise caves come in two types:
  • "Cheese caves" (Cheese caves). They look like holes in Swiss cheese and often form caves of various sizes.
  • "Spaghetti caves" (Spaghetti caves). Long winding tunnels, sometimes wide like tagliatelle.
• No, they aren't noisy! It's just the technical name for the updated caves in Minecraft.
• Old cave crevices and canyons still generate, merging with noise caves to create interesting cave systems.
• On the surface, entrances to new caves flooded with water will appear.
• An aquifer is an area with its own water level independent of sea level. Aquifers are used during world generation to create water bodies inside noise caves. This sometimes results in large underground lakes!
• Currently, aquifers are only used below Y=31. This means all noise caves between Y=31 and sea level (Y=63) will be flooded with water, and noise cave entrances will appear as lakes. This will be fixed in future updates.
• Sometimes magma will generate at the bottom of underground lakes.
• Underwater cave crevices and underwater canyons have been removed, as aquifers are now used instead to generate water in caves.

Changes in 21w06a

• Increased build height and world generation limits.
• Abandoned mineshafts have been adapted for large caves.
• You can no longer sneak or jump to prevent a big dripleaf from tipping.
• Big dripleaf will now tilt instead of breaking when hit by a projectile.
• Big dripleaf attached to redstone will no longer tilt (except when hit by projectiles).
• Updated textures for hanging roots and small dripleafs.

World generation

• Overworld generation and build limits have been expanded by 64 blocks up and 64 blocks down (384 blocks total).
• Underground objects, structures, and caves generate down to Y=-64.

Abandoned mineshaft changes

• Parts of abandoned mineshafts will not generate if they would be floating in air.
• Mineshaft corridors now rest on log pillars when necessary.
• Cobwebs will no longer appear in air.

Fixed bugs

• Big dripleaves can no longer be destroyed by arrows with mob griefing disabled.
• Fixed a bug where small dripleaves would break any blocks.

Remember, this is not the final version of cave generation and things may change in future updates!