seedlookoutNETHER · NETHER STRUCTURES
Nether Fossil
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Bone-block skeletons scattered across soul sand valleys. Their bones provide bone meal, and in newer versions some come with a dried ghast for raising a happy ghast.
This guide follows vanilla Java 26.3. Historical changes retain their own edition and version. Bedrock generation and loot can differ. Screenshots and verified seeds below retain their own game versions.
28462718234064871 · Java 26.3 · netherReference capture · Naturally generated structure, photographed in Minecraft Java 26.3.Game data and source research
Where it generates in Java 26.3
Soul Sand Valley is the only biome in the Java 26.3 Nether fossil eligibility tag. [2][5]
Candidate positions and rarity
Java 26.3 selects one potential starting chunk per 2×2-chunk region (32 blocks on each side). Candidate selection happens before successful structure generation; this is not a measured density or an average travel distance. [3][4]
The generator chooses random X and Z within the candidate chunk and samples its configured height. It scans downward for air above soul sand or a block with a sturdy upper face, and rejects the start if the scan reaches sea level. [1][3][4][5]
What the starting position means
A 2×2-chunk candidate grid makes placement opportunities frequent, but the biome and supporting-surface tests still apply. It does not place one fossil in every such region. [1][4][5]
Small exposed bone formations
Nether fossils select among fourteen bone formations. They are compact remains rather than the buried Overworld skull-and-spine system, and have no chest or interior room. The saved shapes range from low, wide arrangements to narrow upright fragments. [6]
For scale, fossil_2 has bounds of 5 × 1 × 5, fossil_10 is 3 × 7 × 1, and fossil_14 is 7 × 7 × 6 before rotation. These dimensions describe individual templates, including empty positions, not a guaranteed visible silhouette. [6]
Check for a dried ghast separately
After placing the fossil, the code takes a 50% random branch and chooses one location at the bottom of the fossil bounds. It places a dried ghast only if that chosen block is air. The placement bounds are expanded to include the fossil before this check. The branch probability is therefore not an unconditional 50% chance of an intact dried ghast beside every visible fossil. [7]
The templates themselves have no living residents or mob spawners. The dried ghast is a separately placed block, and the surrounding Nether remains the source of ordinary hostile encounters. [6][7]
Loot and rewards in Java 26.3
The Nether fossil is a bone formation with no generated chest. Its collectible resources are placed blocks, which follow block-breaking rules rather than randomized chest contents. [8][9]
The current piece code takes a 50% random branch and samples one position at the bottom of the fossil bounds for a dried ghast. Placement additionally requires that position to be air and inside the processing bounds. The branch probability is not an unconditional 50% chance of a collectible dried ghast at every fossil. [8][9]
The bone-block and dried-ghast block loot tables each name their own item and require survives_explosion. That confirms item identity; normal harvesting also depends on the applicable breaking rules. No intact block count or seed-specific reward is inferred. [8]
| Item | Where the rule applies | What the data establishes |
|---|---|---|
 Bone block | A surviving fossil bone block | A placed block to collect under normal block-breaking rules; not a chest selection. [8] |
 Dried ghast | Only if the separate placement succeeds | A separately placed block; the 50% branch alone does not establish its final presence. [8] |
Version history and release dates
These milestones retain their edition and exact build labels. Snapshot, beta and preview dates belong to those development builds; full releases and staggered Pocket platform releases are dated separately. Historical introduction claims come from the cited Wiki history. [10]
| Version | Released | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Java 20w06a | February 5, 2020 | Nether fossils entered development for the 1.16 release. [10][12] |
| Java 20w11a | March 11, 2020 | The locate command gained support for Nether fossils. [10][13] |
| Bedrock 1.16.0 | June 23, 2020 | Nether fossil features were added. [10][14] |
| Java 1.21.6 | June 17, 2025 | Fossils gained a chance to generate with a dried ghast. [10][15] |
SeedLookout in-game verification
Screenshots
28462718234064871 · Java 26.3 · netherReference capture · Naturally generated structure, photographed in Minecraft Java 26.3.
28462718234064871 · Java 26.3 · netherReference capture · Naturally generated structure, photographed in Minecraft Java 26.3.Our screenshots of naturally generated structures in Minecraft. Each caption gives the seed, coordinates and version. Select one to open it at full size.
Seeds with this nether fossil
None of our verified seeds includes this structure yet. The guide cites game data, code analysis and other references; it does not verify a seed.
Sources
References identify the edition, version and evidence behind the guide. Game code and data describe generation rules; the seed table records locations checked in game. Research reviewed 2026-10-02.
- Mojang Java 26.3: structure configuration ↗
Inner archive META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar: data/minecraft/worldgen/structure/nether_fossil.json
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c. SHA-256 by archive member: data/minecraft/worldgen/structure/nether_fossil.json = 61714b925b29c997e3553165ba87242d574d5c3416583c2e41b3003116ba117c
- Mojang Java 26.3: resolved starting-biome tags ↗
Inner archive META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar: data/minecraft/tags/worldgen/biome/has_structure/nether_fossil.json
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c. SHA-256 by archive member: data/minecraft/tags/worldgen/biome/has_structure/nether_fossil.json = dc3208763ae9b5a4084f8f548f68fed7b1c8e69a12d7dc2e964dd694c7b52027
- Mojang Java 26.3: candidate placement settings ↗
Inner archive META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar: data/minecraft/worldgen/structure_set/nether_fossils.json
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c. SHA-256 by archive member: data/minecraft/worldgen/structure_set/nether_fossils.json = c5b5330628986cdf935f6835f714b9ea16bdc9c26ee791b9e3a688372de9a0d9
- Mojang Java 26.3: candidate filtering and weighted retries ↗
Inner archive META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar: net/minecraft/world/level/chunk/ChunkGenerator.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement$ExclusionZone.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement$FrequencyReducer.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement$FrequencyReductionMethod.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/RandomSpreadStructurePlacement.class. Methods: RandomSpreadStructurePlacement.getPotentialStructureChunk; AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement.isStructureChunk; ChunkGenerator.createStructures / tryGenerateStructure
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c. Implementation inspected using CFR 0.152; reconstructed Java is not an original Mojang source publication. SHA-256 by archive member: net/minecraft/world/level/chunk/ChunkGenerator.class = 7e5145ec6e36cbc7af979e869d4947c85e4715b8d13105f1369f0a385c40851d; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement$ExclusionZone.class = eb0d49eb1ffb0714fbdb04abde954fbdbd50cfeafd411f593de8159a06488300; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement$FrequencyReducer.class = e2887ebf5f8937ca3b038d6e1c40bc1c77f983a97b5b7ed9bdcd78b59d103e82; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement$FrequencyReductionMethod.class = 3664480026b9e91c8235bdbf6d98fdbbb78586f8d0decee70f9ea788d3291a71; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/AbstractSpreadingStructurePlacement.class = 0775a5cd47242fafd7f9977a9cfb821a6fffe5d1defcbc3bf8cded7e2427a4a8; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/placement/RandomSpreadStructurePlacement.class = 8fbeed7711f96285b9b39b2e8363ffaa6ea80dd03baea4c1e6fa98e90b7f8eb9
- Mojang Java 26.3: generation entry points ↗
Inner archive META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar: net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$GenerationContext.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$GenerationStub.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$StructureSettings$Builder.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$StructureSettings.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure.class; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/structures/NetherFossilStructure.class. Methods: NetherFossilStructure.findGenerationPoint; Structure.findValidGenerationPoint; Structure.GenerationContext.isValidBiome
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c. Implementation inspected using CFR 0.152; reconstructed Java is not an original Mojang source publication. SHA-256 by archive member: net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$GenerationContext.class = 0c4335baa022b0482299b5cc0a3d0492fd3160542640b2538a5b8934822cc12b; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$GenerationStub.class = e7a25f7418cfbfafaa6ecc1558a4bacde160ab247be6997df4aef3288da76a52; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$StructureSettings$Builder.class = e9b9a37f14f156749ceb686ab31f34954c3b65c0e9f1ff43cdebb508a72b1261; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure$StructureSettings.class = 5796d330ef7ea491ee64b34ccdfe6c08a62b71886441bd87cd327a2fc6188f80; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/Structure.class = fa023ce735376b7042242948275a0869a7e22d30e5e4c5c6502b521578577188; net/minecraft/world/level/levelgen/structure/structures/NetherFossilStructure.class = 06b51dea67d9a563db2d13de28b83ff6f56bcdeeacb41f41cc589705c6cab04b
- Mojang Java 26.3: nether fossil templates and data ↗
data/minecraft/worldgen/structure/nether_fossil.json; data/minecraft/structure/nether_fossils/**/*.nbt
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c; inner META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar SHA-256 a362163eec5d1612d520772bc16e5b39c09e3b234fdc045f56bf544284ee8ae6. NBT dimensions are unrotated saved template bounds (X × Y × Z), including air and connectors, not usable interior dimensions.
- Mojang Java 26.3: nether fossil layout and encounter implementation ↗
net.minecraft.world.level.levelgen.structure.structures.NetherFossilPieces; nether_fossils/fossil_1..14.nbt; NetherFossilPieces.NetherFossilPiece.postProcess / placeDriedGhast.
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c; inner META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar SHA-256 a362163eec5d1612d520772bc16e5b39c09e3b234fdc045f56bf544284ee8ae6. Official bytecode inspected through CFR 0.152; reconstructed implementation, not an original source checkout.
- Mojang Java 26.3: nether fossil loot data ↗
Inner META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar: data/minecraft/loot_table/blocks/bone_block.json; data/minecraft/loot_table/blocks/dried_ghast.json
Evidence details
Verified official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c. File SHA-256s: bone_block.json: c2074bdfed77cf70593533b0454ece9ea139e0b0e98d1a572949f34d3ba6935a; dried_ghast.json: ba5c7910379bea69baec59b7cba5e7dda0571d60d793c578853e9f9cf08a1ee8. Table identity and conditional item rules are distinct from any particular generated container.
- Mojang Java 26.3: nether fossil layout and encounter implementation ↗
net.minecraft.world.level.levelgen.structure.structures.NetherFossilPieces; nether_fossils/fossil_1..14.nbt; NetherFossilPieces.NetherFossilPiece.postProcess / placeDriedGhast.
Evidence details
Official server SHA-1 33680f5f2ac32864d6d7cf5e56a705fdb3e05f4c; inner META-INF/versions/26.3/server-26.3.jar SHA-256 a362163eec5d1612d520772bc16e5b39c09e3b234fdc045f56bf544284ee8ae6. Official bytecode inspected through CFR 0.152; reconstructed implementation, not an original source checkout.
- Minecraft Wiki: Nether Fossil — pinned history ↗
History section, retaining edition, release grouping, development-version and experimental-toggle qualifiers.
Evidence details
Pinned article revision 3788925 from 2026-09-22T14:56:28Z. Historical claims only; not an audited game build or release-date source.
- Minecraft Wiki: Nether Fossil description ↗
Opening description and History
Evidence details
Pinned article revision 3788925; retrieved October 1, 2026. Article history supports historical introductions; current generation and loot are audited separately from game data.
- Java 20w06a: release date ↗
/id; /releaseTime
Evidence details
Date belongs to the exact 20w06a build. Snapshot and prerelease dates are separate from the later full release; metadata does not prove the feature introduction.
- Java 20w11a: release date ↗
/id; /releaseTime
Evidence details
Date belongs to the exact 20w11a build. Snapshot and prerelease dates are separate from the later full release; metadata does not prove the feature introduction.
- Bedrock 1.16.0: release date ↗
Version infobox release date
Evidence details
Platform releases were staggered: June 23, 2020<ref name="nether-release">{{cite|url=https://feedback.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/360044928311|title=Minecraft - Nether Update - 1.16.0 (Bedrock)|date=June 23, 2020}}</ref>. These dates describe full Pocket releases, separately from earlier betas.
- Java 1.21.6: release date ↗
/id; /releaseTime
Evidence details
Date belongs to the exact 1.21.6 build. Snapshot and prerelease dates are separate from the later full release; metadata does not prove the feature introduction.
Item art uses vanilla Java 26.3 assets from the official client release. Icons retain their game version alongside the guide.
Descriptions adapted from the Minecraft Wiki retain its attribution under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Calculations and code analysis are SeedLookout research. Screenshot captions identify each capture. The seed table contains our published verified seeds; checking a location does not establish particular room contents or chest loot.