What is the black ore that gives rocks around it the blue shield icon?

[Rowan]

Literally no idea, the game seriously needs tooltips, or an in-game codex (bestiary for monsters too)

[Lukass]

It's the way the cavernous planets slow down your progress a bit, it 'protects' the blocks around it requiring more time to mine them.
Frost planets have a block of this sort as well (A block that has a little snow storm around it. It slows down workers considerably in terms of mining AND moving).

[Rowan]

Originally posted by Lukass:

It's the way the cavernous planets slow down your progress a bit, it 'protects' the blocks around it requiring more time to mine them.
Frost planets have a block of this sort as well (A block that has a little snow storm around it. It slows down workers considerably in terms of mining AND moving).

Ah, okay I was starting to think that might be it, thanks