The Minecraft Cave Sound/Crash Theory

Minecraft isn’t all fun… I’m telling you, it’s terrifying and this ‘Cave/Crash theory’ just adds to it.
If you have ever been mining for an extended period of time with ambient sounds on, there is a good chance that you have jumped out of your chair due to the music that plays. I have had nightmares on at least 300 occasions after mining and have it now permanently turned off. There has to be a reason for the mortifying sounds of the caves, and many players believe they have a theory onto what they are.
At the end of the day, this is JUST a bit of fun at the eerie sounds Minecraft has inside their game. It isn’t meant to be taken seriously!

The backstory

Of course, the main element to Minecraft is the first letter in the name, mining. People believe that Cave sounds 1 through to 19 as well as discs 11 & 13 involve the crash and death of a group of miners. Players believe that it could be either an accident, a creeper or the mysterious Herobrine. As of version 1.13, there are currently 19 sounds that are all played randomly when you enter a cave system, dungeon, stronghold or when you are near the darkest point of your world.

What do we think the cave sounds mean?

It is believed that the cave sounds tell a story through each sound, and when played in order, tell the tale of the fate of an accident inside a mining system that took place many years back. Here is a rundown on what each cave sound sounds like.

The Cave Theory

Listen to the sounds while reading. Trust me.

These sounds are regarded as seconds before and the death sounds

Cave Sound 1; The cave theory starts off that the first cave sound is the miners blowing the whistle on their Minecart before they crash.

Cave Sound 2; ‘Angelic humming’ is heard, this is what people regard as the death of the miners upon the crash

These sounds are leading up to the crash/pileup of the miners

Cave Sound 3; The low pitched grumble is said to be a Minecart continuing rumbling on the tracks
Cave sound 4; The delayed echo of the Minecart crash is heard throughout the cave
Cave sound 5; This sound is another Minecart scraping on stone before crashing into the other Minecart
Cave sound 6; This is the sound of a Minecart engine.
Cave sound 7; Suspense or ambiance after the crash
Cave sound 8: The last breath of a miner
Cave sound 9: A minecart tumbling and falling off the tracks
Cave sound 10: Minecart wheels screeching when brakes are applied
Cave sound 11: A minecart at a high speed before crashing into the crashed minecarts
Cave sound 12: Rocks falling and hitting the minecart before the crash
Cave sound 13: Wind echoing from the crash throughout the cave.

These next sounds are said to be during or after the crash/pile-up

Cave sound 14: A creeper hissing and breathing before exploding
Cave sound 15: The explosion of the creeper that started the crash
Cave sound 16: Minecart tumbling into other carts
Cave sound 17: Minecarts screeching to a stop before they hit the main Minecart, killing the miners.
Cave sound 18: More sounds of minecarts crashing into the original 2 Minecarts.
Cave sound 19: This sounds like the chattering of something, it could be Herobrine, it could be another creeper ready to explode. It could also be rocks falling into the mine due to the explosions. Or if you really wanted to stretch it, gunshots. (It’s just a theory!)
Disc 11: Disc 11 is terrifying, it is what it is. It sounds of a man, steve or one of the miners, running away, panting. They light up a fire with flint & steel in a wet cave. They flick through a book or some pages before hearing a creepy noise, close to the one at the start, before running away again. Disc 11 was released the same time as Endermen, so it could very well be the murder of a miner by an Enderman.


The official Minecraft wiki describes it as;

A slightly disturbing disc; the recording seems to be of a person running across (or maybe breaking) different block types and later on stopping to use equipment of some kind, cough, and then continue running with a hastened pace. The block sounds similar to that of dirt and stone. The person is struggling and haunting background noises are heard throughout the recording. Strange noises of barking or wind blowing are heard near the end before abruptly stopping. One can hear a hissing noise akin to what would be expected at the end of an older shellac record at this point.

Disc 13: This disc is much like disc 11, eerie and creepy music. This one can be broken down to; Ambient cave music, then a skeleton shooting two of their arrows, hitting a creeper with one, the creeper hissing and exploding, throwing the player/miner into the water making a splash, and then the player leaving the water and running from whatever mob is now chasing them.


When disc 11 and disc 13 are played together they act as a story, complementing each other. Some say that the creature that you can hear when you play both at the same time proves the existence of Herobrine.
Wow. It might not read scary, but pairing it with the audio of the sounds you can really start to identify the little details of the crash and pile-up of the miners. If you are sitting in a mine, mining away, with this in the back of your mind as you hear the already eerie sounds, it just adds another layer to the creepiness of the sounds.

What does the cave ambiance ACTUALLY sound like?

Cave Sound 1; The first sound in the story is an echoing steam train, blowing a whistle as it goes by.
C2; ‘Angelic humming’ is what this is regarded as, and is a light, high pitched hum that continues for a few seconds.
C3; A low pitched grumble or hum is heard echoing throughout the cave. It is like a really low pitched orchestra.
C4; A roar or a large gust of wind is heard blowing through the tunnel that the miners are currently inside. Players describe this as a ‘hellish roar’.
C5; A long, vibrative ringing is heard.
C6; This sound is resembling a vehicle passing by, maybe another train full of more miners
C7; This sound is simply a gong
C8: This is just a distorted version of a blaze breathing
C9: An airplane flying overhead
C10: A violin screeching as it is being played
C11: A subway train racing at a high speed
C12: Loud bell
C13: A grunt of some sort
C14: Robotic steaming noises
C15: Most likely a distorted train whistle
C16: Metallic banging
C17: An iron door slamming shut with a bell
C18: Wood creaking and slamming
So what do you think? Do you believe in the Cave Theory? Have you ever logged off just because of the horrid sounds the cave system makes? I have! At the end of the day, this is just a bit of fun and something to think about when mining. Don’t take it tooooo seriously… unless you want to!