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(For layering armor, see Armor:Size, Permit, and layering armor)

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There are four types of stone layers in Dwarf Fortress. Each has different types of ore and gems available. Layers are extremely important in site selection because it determines what metals there are to work with. Layers also help in determining where to begin exploratory mining depending on what is needed for the fortress.

Contents 1 Sedimentary 2 Metamorphic 3 Igneous extrusive 4 Igneous intrusive 5 Other layers 5.1 Soil 5.2 Aquifer

[edit] Sedimentary

Main article: Sedimentary layer

Appears in white on the embark menu. Often includes coal, iron ore, and all but one of the flux stones, all the components for making steel. Never found in the same biome as igneous extrusive. Full to the brim with valuable and useful deposits. Only place to find bituminous coal and lignite, and iron ore in large clusters (magnetite). Good choice for exploratory mining.

[edit] Metamorphic

Main article: Metamorphic layer

Contains a small variety of ores, but tends to be rich in gems. Includes marble, the only non-Sedimentary flux. If there are no flux sedimentary layers Metamorphics can be useful in the early stages but the lack of weapon quality ore (besides copper and silver) make it a poor choice for full scale Exploratory mining in the early game.

[edit] Igneous extrusive

Main article: Igneous extrusive layer

Appears in a darker shade on the embark menu. It is likely to include obsidian and metal ores. It also indicates a good chance of magma being present in some form or another above the magma sea. Never found in the same biome as sedimentary. Igneous extrusive layers can contain veins of Hematite, an ore of iron.

[edit] Igneous intrusive

Main article: Igneous intrusive layer

Like extrusive, also often contains magma, but farther down typically. Often contains gold or copper ore.

[edit] Other layers

[edit] Soil

Main article: Soil

When soil is present, it will always be the top layer or two, above any stone layers. Appears in brown on the embark menu. Useful for growing crops and storage, but provides no rock for building.

[edit] Aquifer

Main article: Aquifer

An aquifer is not a separate layer, but overlaps one or more layers of stone or soil. When viewing the layers on the embark menu, it is indicated by a line of blue tildes(~) next to the layer(s) involved. This layer of water-generating stone can be used as a water source, but also can be a potential barrier to all layers below it.

See Also: Stone