Block Time vs Difficulty Adjustment

Block time is the average interval between the creation of new blocks on a blockchain, with Bitcoin targeting approximately 10 minutes per block through automatic difficulty adjustments that ensure consistent block production regardless of total mining power.

Difficulty adjustment is Bitcoin's automatic mechanism that recalibrates mining difficulty every 2,016 blocks to maintain the 10-minute average block time, ensuring consistent block production regardless of whether mining power increases or decreases dramatically.