Exploring the Primordial Caves Biome, Volcano, Dino Bowl, and Dinosaur Crafting in Alex's Caves
The Primordial Caves biome is one of the six cave biomes added by Alex's Caves, and it is the only place where the Volcano and Dino Bowl structures generate. This guide covers those two structures and the dinosaur-related crafting recipes tied to the biome's materials.
Finding the Primordial Caves
Alex's Caves adds six cave biomes to the Overworld: the Magnetic Caves, the Primordial Caves, the Toxic Caves, the Abyssal Chasm, the Forlorn Hollows, and the Candy Cavity. These biomes are exceedingly rare compared to normal biomes, so you should not expect to stumble into one by casual mining.
To locate any of them, you first need to find an Underground Cabin somewhere in the Overworld. Inside, loot barrels contain cave tablets and a Cave Compendium. The Cave Compendium is the mod's guide book and holds the knowledge needed to find and explore every biome the mod adds. Note that Alex's Caves requires Citadel, and it is built for Forge on Minecraft 1.20.1.
Each biome has its own ambient particles, fog, brightness, and light color. Because shaders can alter or worsen these unique appearances, experiencing the mod without shaders is recommended. The mod also has built-in compatibility with Just Enough Items and Alex's Mobs.
The Volcano
The Volcano generates in the Primordial Caves biome. Placement is limited: the game makes one attempt per 14x14 chunk region, and volcanoes must be at least 8 chunks apart. That spacing means you will not find them clustered together, so expect to travel some distance between them when searching a Primordial Caves area.
The Dino Bowl
The Dino Bowl also generates in the Primordial Caves. It is more common than the Volcano in terms of placement rules: one attempt is made per 4x4 chunk region, with a minimum distance of 2 chunks between them. If you are exploring the biome and want to find Dino Bowls, they should appear considerably more often than volcanoes.
Dinosaur-Related Crafting
Several recipes use materials you gather in and around the Primordial Caves.
Cooked Dinosaur Chop is obtained from a 
Dinosaur Chop in three different ways:
- Campfire cooking
- Smelting
- Smoking
The 
Extinction Spear is crafted with a shaped recipe using 
Tectonic Shard x3, a 
Limestone Spear, 
Amber Curiosity x2, and a 
Heavy Bone.
The 
Tremorzilla Egg is crafted with a shaped recipe using Tectonic Shard x5, an 
Immortal Embryo, and a 
Tremorsaurus Egg.
The 
Amber Monolith is crafted with a shaped recipe using 
Amber x5, an Amber Curiosity, 
Limestone x2, and a diamond from the forge:gems/diamond tag.
Practical Notes
Plan your Primordial Caves trips around the structure spacing rules. Volcanoes are the rarer of the two structures by placement, so if a specific goal depends on one, be ready to cover ground. Dino Bowls attempt placement in much smaller regions, so they are the easier target to locate while you collect the materials listed above.
For anything beyond these recipes and structures, consult the Cave Compendium in-game, which serves as the mod's guide book for finding and exploring its biomes.
Covers the mod’s in-game guide topics: Volcano Dino Bowl Cooked Dinosaur Chop Extinction Spear Tremorzilla Egg Amber Monolith
Cave Compendium