Reply With QuoteThis is incredible and a huge inspiration! The tropical colors certainly make the highest elevations pop!
Looks amazing Chareg! The last one with the tropical colors us oddly appealing.
The central part looks like it would be arid. Due to the mountains on both coasts cutting off the moist air currents from the ocean maybe?
Good work always.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
This is incredible and a huge inspiration! The tropical colors certainly make the highest elevations pop!
I guess the smoother transitions between colours in the "tropical gradient" makes it a bit better looking with a seamless elevation map (reminds me a bit of colour schemes used in real-world topographical maps, like this one). The central and western parts of the continent are indeed bound to be very arid, though especially the central region has a very large drainage shed, resulting in some major river systems and a vast lake in the basin. In the geological past of this world, it is envisioned that the present-day endorheic basins of Central Eocidar were vast internal seas connected to the ocean. After more recent tectonic developments closed the connection with the ocean, the seas have mostly dried away (leaving massive salt deposits behind) and C. Eocidar has become a very arid landscape.Originally Posted by Ryan Pourchot
And I guess that's a good step to move on to the map of tectonic and geologic features:
The bright blue (subduction), red (divergence) and green (transform fault) represent the present-day boundaries of the Eocidarian plate and the Umeakar micro-plate. The old aulacogens (Great Akanrian Trough ~140 Mya, Neyhra Trough ~95 Mya) are drawn dark red. The major (recent) flood basalts have also been marked, of these, the Andauban and Aemarike LIP are 100-80 Mya old, whereas the M'tuwi is an active hotspot.
The dark yellow represent recent (50-0 Mya) sutures between the main Eocidarian landmass and major terranes (these collisions, alongside with the eruption of the M'tuwi flood basalt, were responsible for closing the central basins of the continent). Bright yellow marks the Ilanga Fault Blocks, a region with distinctive basin and range topography (formed 160-140 Mya alongside the Great Akanrian Trough).
The orange lines, on the other hand, approximately mark the sutures from the assembly of the ancient supercontinent Panwara, resulting in the Pan-Eocidarian Orogeny (of which the central plateaus and eroded mountain belts are remnants). The assembly of Panwara isn't exactly dated since I haven't built my tectonic model that far back, but I envision it to have occurred perhaps 400-350 Mya.
And I think that is sufficient coverage for one post. I might post something a bit more detailed about some of the tectonic events like the history of the "Eocidarian Cordillera" (as I've dubbed the western mountain belt for obvious reasons), and maybe some short vids/gifs of the tectonic model as I keep updating it. Glad to hear that this has been inspiring some further forays into fantasy tectonics and all that, keep up the good work and thanks for the feedback!
Definitely do this if you get a chance--would be super interested to see what you've got!I might post something a bit more detailed about some of the tectonic events like the history of the "Eocidarian Cordillera" (as I've dubbed the western mountain belt for obvious reasons), and maybe some short vids/gifs of the tectonic model as I keep updating it. Glad to hear that this has been inspiring some further forays into fantasy tectonics and all that, keep up the good work and thanks for the feedback
Grayscale map is my favorite yours map style. Sometime I whant stole it to play with texturing.
First off, I'm incredibly impressed by these maps; the amount of research, skill,artistry and effort that's going into them is truly inspiring! However, I'm getting hung up on one aspect that's causing me trouble myself, and that's scale. The shape and realism of your mountains are incredible, but to my eye they look like regional (aka small-scale) mountains, such as could be crossed in a day or two of hiking. Given the scale of your world I would guess that these mountains are meant to be much larger, approximating entire mountain ranges like the Rockies or Himalayas. However, at those scales mountain ranges look much different than the ones you've illustrated; they look more like clusters of noise, and individual ridges are impossible to discern. I've uploaded a couple images to demonstrate what I'm seeing:
With that in mind, a few questions:
A - Am I misinterpreting the scale of your map?
B - If not, did you choose to represent your mountains as you did for artistic reasons?
Or,
C - Did you choose to represent them as you did because the tools you're using (Photoshop, Wilbur), don't allow for that level of detail and resolution?
I ask because, as I set out on my own mapmaking journey, I want to make sure that I get the scale of my mountains right before spending many hours fleshing out the height maps. However, I'm also pretty inexperienced with Wilbur so I want to make sure I don't work on a scale that the program can't handle.
Last edited by LowerSpatialDimension; 04-17-2020 at 12:35 PM.
@LowerSpatialDimension:
You are correct with the scale, these are indeed vast continental-scale mountain ranges. I suppose the ridges being a bit pronounced in places is more of a result of the artistic process than anything else (after all, I'm also human, so these aren't 100% realistic of course
Though Wilbur does have trouble with high resolution images (it can still handle maybe 4000x2000 pretty comfortably, for example), so if you intend to use Wilbur it's a good idea to keep that in mind (though myself I haven't found it a hindrance).
Edit:
Btw, I calculated the average elevation for C. Eocidar and ended up at about 720 metres, falling about halfway between Asia (915 m) and Africa (580 m).
Last edited by Charerg; 04-17-2020 at 03:26 PM.
Here's a bit of something, a gif of the supercontinent Panwara breaking apart (this covers a period from 160 to 60 Mya). Many of the coastlines for the eastern continents are being revised (and to a degree already have been revised but not quite updated to the tectonic model), so in some places the coastlines are notably "off" here (namely with Anapar, the part between the Ngabre Craton and Akanrias). There are a few other things off, like the location of the EASZ (East Akanrian Shear Zone), which I've changed since creating the elevation map for Akanrias (and the region will eventually undergo a bit of an update).
But the .gif gives shows pretty well how crustal extension along the Akanrias-Eocidar boundary results in the creation of the Great Akanrian Trough and the Ilanga Fault Blocks, as well as the Meiana Block being separated from the mainland and the formation of the Elebrion Fault.
Geologic history of the Eocidarian Cordillera: Part I
So, I mentioned I would post something about the geologic history of C. Eocidar's western mountain belts (dubbed the "Eocidarian Cordillera" since they're mostly inspired by the real-world mountains of that name). I actually have a fair bit worked out for how various parts of the mountain range formed, ranging from different terranes docking with Eocidar to subduction of submarine plateaus. But since I keep most notes in my head it's all a bit disorganized, and this post ended up being mostly about the history of the C'thuana terrane, so I guess I'll call this post "part one" on this topic.
With the intro out of the way, let's dive in and take a look at Aduhr 200 Mya:
Needless to say, this is all very WIP still and the further back in time we go, the less detailed things become. But at present the C'thuana terrane is envisioned as originating from the southern margins of Panwara, diverging at about 250 Mya. The main reason for the divergence is the NW movement of Panwara: there is a retreating subduction zone on the southward margin of the continent, and this causes the C'thuana block to break off. Overall, a similar process to what went on with Japan diverging from mainland Asia, or Stikinia from Laurentia for an even better example.
Next up, a few screenshots from the ages 150 and 100 Mya:
At 150 Mya, it can be seen how Panwara begins to break up, and the subduction zone south of the supercontinent has shifted into rapid advance from its former state. This cause a new subduction zone to form at the southern margins of Nomune (the southernmost piece), subducting the now-quite-aged crust of the "C'thuana Sea". At 100 Mya, the mid-oceanic ridge is subducted and the C'thuana Plate itself falls under slab pull, beginning to once again converge with Eocidar.
Finally, here's a look at Eocidar 50 Mya:
Here, the C'thuana terrane is on the verge of colliding with Eocidar, a process that will eventually close off the western interior sea. To the north of the continent, the collision between Urgaleon and Eocidar is proceeding, which will result in the opening of the Trans-Eocidarian Rift, breaking the continent in two (the epeirogenic uplift, normal faulting and flood basalts released as part of this process will close off the eastern interior sea). Besides the C'thuana terrane, there are also two smaller terranes (K'wira and T'kalo) that have been accredited to Eocidar at a later date than C'thuana. As their exact movements remain a bit in flux, I decided not to go in too deep about those just yet (maybe in future if I ever complete the tectonic model for that Indonesia-like region SW of Eocidar).
And with that, I think we can close off "part one". The next part will discuss the northern portions of the cordillera and how they acquired their present-day structure.
I came across this project a few days back and I was taken aback. I have never before come across a worldbuilding project which has put this much emphasis on geological plausibility. All the time you've spent refining your plate motion model in gplates has really paid off. Much of your topology looks very convincing, and is testament to the astounding level of research and study you've put into this project. For example, the concave shape of the Eocidarian Cordillera is very reminiscent of the Bolivian Orocline, both in terms of its curvature and its elevation, and I can see how they very well might have shared a similar tectonic evolution. I also have to say that the basin and range topography at the northeastern end of the Great Akanrian Trough is absolutely inspired.
If I have one criticism, however, it would be that your rift systems are maybe a bit too linear. You have these unbroken, gently curving lines, when what one would expect lots of smaller unconnected rift basins following a general axis of extension. In some areas you might even have multiple rift basins running parellel to each other.
This criticism does not apply to the Great Akanrian Trough which has clearly reached a far more advanced stage of extension. The width of the trough suggests to me that it should be mostly submerged, and may have begun seafloor spreading at its widest portions before becoming inactive. The remainder would have reached a transitional stage with a thin veneer of continental lithosphere. After this one would expect a degree of postrift subsidence of not just the trough itself, but also the flanking horsts. Then we need to take into account 140 million years of sediment being deposited, but even then I still think it would be more reasonable for more of the trough to be submerged. What I have in mind is something along the lines of the Bay of Fundy, at least for the southwestern part of the trough, getting progressively deeper as the trough widens. At northeasterns portion, I'm thinking something more along the lines of the Mozambique Channel or Davis Strait, with oceanic lithosphere overlain by thick sediment.
Speaking now from more of a geopolitical point of view, this alternative setup would have some interesting implications. Two strategically important locations would emerge: one south of the Ilanga fault blocks where we already see something very reminscent of the Strait of Hormuz. This narrowing of the gulf serves as not only a viable crossing point but also a vital choke point, where shipping going in and out of the gulf can be controlled. A longer gulf would only increase the strategic importance of this choke point. There would also now be a narrow land route between the southwestern end of the gulf and the ocean which would serve as a narrow isthmus connecting Akanrias with the rest of the continent, very much akin to the Isthmus of Suez connecting Africa and Eurasia. To me, at least, this would be a desirable consequence, but if it isn't to you then you could explain the current topography of the region by having this area move over a hotspot and causing uplift that way.
Keep up the good work. I'll be following this project eagerly!
Posting Permissions