Thesis on the Eon Hills of Vera

As written by a research fellow at the Elkaelia Siteakin. Note that several terms are unique to Elivera geology, but a link will be provided to the Earth equivalent for readers from Earth. The image was painted to show some of the crust-shines and other geological formations as well as some of the plant life. Note that the indigo mesh that coats the hills is what locals call "krak."    

Preface

  Nestled in the Eon hills, Esikan has grown as a city from a meager town of ten thousand or so inhabitants, to a bustling city of nearly half a million. When deciding upon a research topic, the interesting history of the Eon hills drew me back to my hometown, and it's ecological roots. Eon hills geomorphology is a mixture of sediment accretion and tectonic uplift, where earth and erosion combined to create fertile soil and rugged hills. The thick tidal zones host a variety of life despite the harsh conditions of the heavy tides in the coastal regions of the Eon hills.   This unusual area invited a look into how humanity has impacted the flora and fauna of the region, and the overall history. I wanted to explore that rich history in hopes some of the unique solutions to ecological problems could inspire other regions of Elivera to follow suite.  

Geomorphology of Eon Hills of Northern Vera

  Located in the peninsula at the northern edge of the Vera continent, the Eon hills hosts a variety of unique geomorphological processes. It's sediment is the remains of fallen Raliok that have fermented under waist-high grasses that churn up and dig deep into the rich nutrients of the broken remains of Raliok.   The hills themselves are a recent magma intrusion from the divergent tectonic plateshifts of the Vera plate and the Nuitjru plate -- most of the divergent action takes place several kilometers north within the Avok Gilas.   Erosion from wind and water sculpted the land, to create the rugged hills of Eon, where sediment layers from thousands of years slowly become exposed to the sun and wind. This soil accrues further down the Earo-sigu that sweeps through the valleys of the Eon hills, and deposits on the river's shores to create fertile soil for agriculture.   The nearest Raliok tree lies 23 kilometers to the south of Esikan, the government seat of the Eon hills. The shadow cast from the great tree covers nearly 42 square kilometers of land, and much of the hills in this region have sparse vegetation and numerous crust-shines.   Crust-shines are rock formations that form from closely spaced and intersecting fractures in the earth from the magma intrusion uplifts toward the crust. They often resemble hexagonal columns that are typically parallel and straight. Crust-shines are scattered throughout the Eon hills, but are more prominent in the shadow of the Raliok where vegetation is sparser, providing a stark contrast with the ebony crust-shines and the indigo krak that cling to the surface of the rocks. In the warmer seasons, the krak bud lavender and the air coils thick with pollen and the buzzing of mukuain (a thin, four-winged insect with a long proboscis).   Further north, beyond the shadow-zone, the land blooms with niat vines that climb up the swollen hills and curl at the roots of the miamiain, thick budding trunks with wide-spread branches that cluster in wind-swept patterns to maximize the sunlight absorbed. Their roots dig deep into the soil and churn up the decaying matter from the long-forgotten Raliok that felled centuries ago. This soil is rich in nitrogen and oxygen, and prime for horticultural projects. Under the thick soil, the crust-shines merge with igneous rock formations.   Embedded deep in the rock are gas pockets of toxic methane and sulfur, the remnants of the magma bulge that had once thrived under the Eon hills. That bulge has since moved north-east into the ocean, where bubbles of methane and sulfur still weave their way through the ocean to create dangerous flight zones.   Silicon veins are rich in the Eon hills, grown from the molten elements of the magma bulge during the uplift era of the Eon hills history. Numerous atolitin, formed from intrusive igneous rocks cooling under the crust, constitute the core of the hills, many of them weathered down over the years. Long dikes mar the surface of the hills due to the penetrating intrusion, and many intersection with lakkotin, a sheet intrusion of magma between the original sedimentary rock that existed before the magma chamber moved under this region. This intrusion injected numerous metallic elements into the Eon hills.   These veins of interlocking crystals form the bedrock of the Eon hills, many of the primary elements consisting of oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. In the central portion of the Eon hills, great veins of titanium, tiyaniht, and manganese formed during the uplift era. Because of the high concentrations of silicon and iron, the bulk of the Eon hills derives from felisik, magnesium-poor but silicon-rich crystalline formation. Felisik rock is the last to crystallize during a magma uplift, due to requiring much lower temperatures for solidification than the calcium and/or magnesium-rich rocks (which require much higher temperature ranges to crystallize).   Due to these unique geomorphological structures, the Eon hills is rich in soil nutrients and mining ores. This has made it a prime region for settlement and for the mining industry. It is also home to several unique species of flora and fauna, which will be discussed in section two of this report.  

Evidence of Raliok

  Geological dating requires measurement of the isotopes of specific elemental compounds within the rocks. Each element has a decay rate of its isotopes that are extremely regular, so computations of the age of rocks can have a high precision rate. The age of the Eon hills magma intrusion has a range between 23 million in the central hills and 2.3 million within the shadow-zone, these ages are within an error rate of 0.002 percent.   The sediment that makes up the upper layer of the hills and forms much of the soil composition has an age of 3 million to 208,300 depending on the location of the soil sample. The larger range of age of the soil is dependent upon where the Raliok fell and the wind and water erosion of the other sedimentary layers that compacted upon the igneous rock formations.   The shadow-zone marks the oldest of the sedimentary layers, and remnants of the old Raliok root system still fracture the igneous rock, veins of carbon-full debris from the rotting of ancient roots. Nubs of these roots crack through some of the crust-shines and splinter their parallel faces with intersecting carbon-based veins.   Raliok roots dig deep into the earth, their thick base punctures the rock and unfurls into thousands of smaller root systems that dig tens of kilometers parallel to the surface and nearly a kilometer deep in some places. Deep in the earth, many of the largest aquifers of fresh water exist between the bedrock of sedimentary and igneous rocks and the thick wood granules of the Raliok roots. From these aquifers, the Raliok will draw up water, which then is returned to the aquifer through the water-cycle after rains saturate the forest and leach through the crevices of the rock into the deeper reservoirs.   Eon hills has very little evidence of these trademark signs of Raliok forestation. Only the shadow-zone reveals significant evidence, and the areas north of the shadow-zone are rich with high nutrient soils. This evidence gives credence to the theory that the shadow-zone is where the ancient Raliok of the Eon hills once stood, and when it fell, it fell to the north, where its decomposing body enriched the soil of the countryside and created new hills upon the igneous hills of old.   Since Raliok root systems reach for kilometers, the theory also gives evidence as to why there is a lone Raliok that still stands 23 kilometers south of Esikan at the southern edges of the Eon hills. It's shadow-zone covers the possible spot of the Ancient Raliok, and its root systems are still entangled with the typical fractures and intersecting splinters from the Ancient Raliok root system. These far-reaching root systems has led many to speculate that the Raliok forest is actually one giant, unending root for one Ancient tree, and all the current living Raliok are just the flowers of that Ancient root system.   Newer analysis techniques that use laser mapping, where lasers are bounced against the ground. This provided a high relief map of the Eon hills, but also found remnant structures of the Raliok root nodes, which are a mixture of the Raliok plant cells and rock crystallization. These nodes exist all across the Vera continent and abruptly end just half a kilometer from the end of the shadow-zone of the last living Raliok of the Eon hills. This aerial mapping technique allows researchers to dig through the deep layers of the Raliok forests to map out the actual surface of the crust, and the results have given the One Raliok theory more evidence.   Here in the Eon Hills, the rich soil provides ample research opportunities to study the remains of the Raliok after their life cycle ends. Even in death, the Raliok still retains connection to the continent-wide root system, though its felled mass eventually decomposes until the above-ground trunk and branches separate from the root system and is churned into rich soil for other plant-life.   Perhaps this is why the Eon hills has been ripe for research as the northern edge of the Raliok root system. The One Raliok theory posits that the magma intrusion that created the hills is the reason why the Raliok root system never invaded the heart of the Eon hills themselves. The lack of Raliok nodes beyond the shadow zone, atolitin that bulge under the surface starting at the edges of the shadow-zone, and the numerous crust-shines and dikes that cut intersect the hills -- all give the impression that the magma intrusion in the area prevented the roots from extending.   There is speculation that magma activity continued in the area and may have contributed to the death of the Ancient Raliok as dates of the crust-shines in the shadow-zone hold an age of only 2.3 million, which is significantly younger than the rest of the Eon hills. Due to the lack of Raliok root system, the Eon hills has a significantly different ecosystem that was separated from the Raliok that dominate the vast majority of the Vera continent.    

Flora

  Since the Raliok root system did not extend into the Eon hills directly, much of the land is host to a variety of unusual flora, much of which hold little DNA correlation to the host of species that live within the layers of the Raliok forest.   The plant that holds the most similarity is a sub-species of the Miamiu, a plant with trunks that twine around each other like DNA strands, and branches that splay horizontally to catch the most sunlight over a large area. This sub-specie, termed miamia, also has splint trunks that wind around each other like DNA strands, but the trunks have several decimeters of space between each other, and the leaves are a longer, more drooping with bright indigo leaves (see drawing below). The Miamiu, in contrast, has near horizontal branches with flat, wide pale lavender leaves and spikes along the inner side of the leaf. The Miamia does not hold these spikes and the curvature of the leaf is more apparent than in the miamiu.     Another species, the siamia, grows much smaller and creeps up the sides of the trunk of the Raliok, but it’s prevalence in the Eon hills shows an interesting genetic abnormality, where they grow at the edges of cliffs. Their roots dug into the cracks and fissures, and clung to the rim, the leaves spread wide to capture the sun. Parts of the roots also drape down the sides of the cliff, allowing other species to grow like mats. Such matted vegetation is also home to smaller winged denizens. Despite no Raliok trees to climb, the siamia of the Eon hills adapted to the cliffs to create an unique mini-ecosystem. The siamia can be seen in the drawing above on the far right side, cling to rocks.   It is speculated that these species were once part of the Raliok that had fallen eons ago, and adapted to a new more hostile landscape.  

Coastal Flora and Fauna

  Other species hold little similarity to the creep-molds and wide-leaf-plants of the Raliok ecosystem. Instead, a lot of the flora in the Eon hills have relation to the tidal pools species within the Nasun sea-caves. Much of the sea-caves is a variety of stalk-stranglers, sponges, fungi, and microscopic bio-luminescent-species. In the coastal regions, the three zones of flora - subtidal, intertidal, and supratidal - all host a plethora of unusual species that aren’t native to any other region of Vera. These pioneering species in the intertidal and subtidal zones are the basis of an intricate and delicate coral ecosystem, one that is in danger of being depleted by the Nasun fisheries.   Of the intertidal and subtidal zones, some of the larger sea life often has multi-appendages and will migrate into the Nasun sea caves during specific seasons of the year. The drawing below illustrates some of the most well known creatures that inhabit the Nasun bays and coastal caves.     A form of gelifisin, bio-luminescent head with long danging appendages that shock its prey, is one of the most heavily fished due to its tender, savory taste and how quickly they breed. They are center in the drawing above, slightly drawn over a larger, more aggressive kavisin, which has almost wing-like appendages that pulsate at several hundred beats a minute to create whirlpools in the water that entrap creatures, which they then suck into their maw, where their five leaf-like jaws snap shut and the creature is swallowed whole.   Smaller fisin, drawn between the gelifisin and the Okuti - an eight appendages deap-sea lurker, are often the prey of the larger sea dwellers. These smaller creatures feed upon the flora of the sea or the microscopic organisms that grow in the sea floor's sand.   Sea flora is either long, waving arms of carbon-enriched strands, or fractal corals that grow in circular, tubular, or hexagonal patterns. Some creatures crawl across these coral reefs to eat the bacteria and microscopic creatures that live among the coral and carbon strands.   The most common tidal flora, especially in the supratidal and intertidal zones, is the Tak and Lakuiru, shown in the drawing below.     The Tak is a sea-grass type flora that is full of nutrients and often harvested for creating teas, soups, and stews. The kabs, insectiods that live in hard shells, often eat the tak as they scuttle along the sand and water of the intertidal zones. The lakuiru is more of a sponge than a grass, and has filaments that extend beyond its sponge surface that catches microscopic bacteria and nanines in the air. Terrestrial flora in the Eon Hills   Outside of these coastal zones and deeper into the Eon hills, the Funugiu species dominate the landscape. Krak covers most of the rocks with its fiber-like tendrils, resembling a indigo sea of lichen. Although there is some variations in color, most of the krak is of the same species, unlike the krak that grows on the roots and lowest layer of Raliok branches — that krak is bio-luminescent and has a distinctly different genetic structure. Most funugiu cannot make their own food, often are a multi-cellular organism, and many are symbiotic with bacteria and/or plant species. Non symbiotic species may catch lifeforms with their webbed or twisted vine structures and digest from there, or they may deplete nutrients from the granules of organic matters in the fractures and nodes of the igneous and sedimentary rocks.   A common example of non-symbiotic funugi is the Liumo that grows on vertical rock faces such as cliffs and dikes. Their base root digs into the crevices in the rock, where it holds the funugi stable in fierce winds. A ribbon extends outward and is covered in a thin layer of sticky slime, which allows the fungi to catch and digest its prey all at once. A few sub-species of the Liumo exist.     One has two base roots spaced several centimeters apart and the ribbon grows as a loop between the two roots. Another sub-species has only one base root and grows much longer than the two-based root species; its ribbon isn’t as thick as the loop species, but this is offset by the length of its ribbon. Most of the food caught by the liumo are microscopic particulates, nanines, and insectoids. Though flying reptilians have also been known to get tangled in the ribbons; once caught, the slime’s toxicity damages their wings. The liumo cannot digest creatures much larger than a few centimeters, so any unlucky flying denizen caught in their ribbons often falls to their death on the rocks below.   Hidden in the crevices of the hills is a Hidoza, which bursts out of the ground to snatch up crawling insectoids. It has three "finger" like appendages, and the inner flesh is embedded with hundreds of spikes that tear through the flesh of any tiny creature caught in its maw. Hidoza's and Liuoma's rarely grow to be much larger than 7 to 10 centimeters, many closer to an average of 6 centimeters in length.   Another common denizen of the Eon hills is the Njezuka, which is a mobile funugi that crawls along the rockface and eats the krak. It's antenna that curl into whirlpools test the air particles, and sense the wind, as the right breeze can blow the njezuka to a new location. Other times, it senses a storm and crawls into a crack to wait out the worst of nature's fury.     Perhaps the most common flora outside of the luminous krak is the Moqinje, which is more in the flowering category than a typical funugi. A hard outer shell protects a brain-like sponge that opens in the daylight, to soak in the rays, specifically the 200 nm to 350 nm portion of the light spectrum. The 400nm or above light rays are reflect off is surface, giving the brain a distinct indigo coloration. Flying insectoids spread its pollen across the landscape when the tiny creatures embed their sensitized feet and nose needle into the sponge to soak up its dew and pollen. This insectoid then spreads the pollen to other areas as it feeds its hatchlings and wipes the dew onto other surfaces whenever it lands.   Most of these interesting specimens do not exist within the Raliok forest itself, and thus are unique to the Eon hills. The steep cliffs and columnars from the magma uplift provides an inhospitable landscape for the thick roots of Ralio sub-species, but smaller vegetation, which have shallower roots spread out over a larger area, cling to these surfaces with determined survivalism.   The area where the Ancient Raliok fell has the richest veins of soil, and most of the Miamia and siamia sub-species grows here in these forested bluffs. The Eon hills displays in real time the succession from the krak, tiny survival lichen, to the kaliok trees that grow on the edges of the hills.   One can walk through this succession of flora by starting at the edges of the Raliok forest: walk through the thick hedges of kaliok trees, with their wide leaves and squat trunks, then move closer to the heart of the hills, where the succession goes back toward the keystone species, the krak and funugiun, especially near the supratidal zones.   Although the magma uplift disrupted the Raliok root system from moving into the Eon hills themselves, one must ponder: is it possible for the Raliok roots to eventually reach through the remnants of the uplift to sprout a new Raliok in the ruins of the old?