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Description

With one week remaining to submit entries to this final stage, a geography map has been provided for submitter reference. Descriptions for each named place can be found below.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 23:59 UTC SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15TH

A link to the contest Google Doc can be found here: docs.google.com/document/d/1q1…

Mu is alone once again, a strange and exotic land that sits far from the rest of the world. #specevo #speculativeevolution #speculativebiology

Geographically Significant Locations:

1. Mulaskan Archipelago
The former land bridge now maintains a fraction of its biodiversity. Volcanism and orogeny have all but ceased, leaving these boreal bastions of a time long passed.
2. Atakomni Plateau
Though no longer possessing the highest peaks on the island, the landform maintains an average altitude in excess of 2,000 meters. Several minor glaciers have built up during the Pleistocene, particularly at the summit of Mt. Stalwart (elevation 3,758 meters).
3. South Sentinel Ridge
Though the North Sentinel Ridge has eroded into an outcropping of the Atakomni Plateau, its southern counterpart has persisted. The height of its tallest peak, Mt. Exuberance (elevation 2,826 meters), stands in stark contrast to the boreal wilderness of the Blustery Vale that lies along its northwestern slope.
4. Spookport Gulf
A deep water harbor that lies at the transition zone between temperate and boreal Mu. It marks the southernmost kelp forests on Mu’s east coast.
5. Maple River Valley
The Maple Lakelands remain, albeit as a confluence of deep rivers. These rivers provide a massive spawning ground for salmonid fish.
6. Dynatok River Valley
After the rhyolitic eruption of Mt. Dynater during the Middle Miocene, the Drathbar area became filled in with volcanic sediments. This, coupled with Mu’s newfound more southerly position, have created fertile growing conditions for forests.
7. Casigeyst River Valley
An arid river valley whose western bounds mark the transition zone of the Muvian temperate rainforest into more arid climates. Winters are markedly wet with dry, warm summers.
8. Bosparotem Plateau
The new roof of Mu can be found at the island’s center. Permanent glaciers dominate the summits of soaring peaks, the highest of which are Mt. Behemoth (4,533 meters) and the aptly named Mt. Mu (4,478 meters). The elevation-induced low temperature and hypoxia here are prohibitive to all but the most extreme flora and fauna.
9. Thylacal Kelp Forests
The western kelp forests stretch from the Casigeyst River Valley in the north to the Kelarbor Archipelago in the south. These vegetation communities are extremely productive due to the cooler waters permeating the west coast of the land mass.
10. Gogama Petrified Peaks
Though Behemornis and its associated community have long since gone extinct, their mound structures have persisted in a petrified state. As a result of orogenic processes, these mounds now form sheer outcroppings along a narrow stretch of the Bosparotem Plateau.
11. Kelarbor Archipelago
A consequence of the Pacific Plate’s subduction beneath the Muvian Plate is that new islands have begun to appear at their convergent boundary. The isles of Kelarbor are typically hot, dry, and rocky, with only drought-tolerant trees managing to gain much of a foothold, foliage-wise.
12. Berange Scrub Valley
One of the largest river valleys in Mu happens to carve through the enormous prairie found in the Beranushak Basin. This river system sees seasonal melt fill it’s contours and watering its grasses.
13. Blushak Desert
The only true desert in Mu lies within the Beranushak Basin. Though supplied by a river, the lower elevation makes the landscape barren and fit only for xeric shrubs and grasses. During the day, temperature can rise well over 40°C before dropping to just above freezing at night.
14. Hejarod Highlands
An extension of the Bosparotem Plateau, these highlands effectively separate southern Mu into an arid western half and a humid eastern half. With an average elevation of just over 1,000 meters, these highlands experience warmer summer temperatures than the plateau to the north. The Irate Falls cascade down its eastern slopes, emptying into the Rectsiren Inlet.
15. Rectsiren Inlet
An arm of Megalake Spifirnda, the Rectsiren Inlet sits out the mouth of what were previously the Siren Lakelands. The water here is less brackish and suitable for freshwater species.
16. Greesquil Volcanic Ridge
The collision of the Aleutian Plate with the Muvian Plate has placed the island’s most explosive volcanism in a new location. Nicknamed the “Emperor Range”, three large stratovolcanoes stand across the peninsula. A fourth submarine volcano is known to exist somewhere to the east.
17. Megalake Spifirnda
Formed through a combination of factors including the formation of the Greensquil Volcanic Ridge and the deposition of sediment from the Firplum Delta, this brackish sea is over twice the size of Lake Superior. Its western depths average 10-20 meters, while its eastern depths closer to the Mu Marine Gateway can drop as deep as 200 meters. It possesses enormous productivity, boasting swamps and marshlands on its shores and having a cool effect on the surrounding land.
18. Mu Marine Gateway
Formed as a result of orogeny, volcanism, and sediment deposition, this feature acts as a large, deep channel connecting Megalake Spifirnda to the Muvian Sea and rest of the global ocean. That it remains open is critical to the long term stability of the climate and ecosystems found in Mu’s interior.
19. Elvakerm River Valley
The Elvakerm River Valley is a collection of rivers that feed into Megalake Spifirnda. The marshes and forests along its banks are highly productive, with comfortable summers and mild winters. The Crowned Monarch Forest is a large forested region that can be found to its west.
20. Borodaptor Mountains
Formed by interactions between the Muvian Plate and the Pacific Plate, small hills have now been tossed skyward. These are the highest peaks in southern Mu, with Dreamsnatcher Peak (elevation 2,891 meters) standing as its highest point. These mountains will likely only continue to undergo uplift in the future.
21. Inespandive Bay
A bay fed by the Inespandive River, this feature is known for its abundance of swamps and near-shore reefs.
22. Triloyaz Mountains
Though the Borodaptor Mountains have begun their ascent, the uplift to the Triloyaz Mountains has been much less pronounced, with its highest peak being Mt. Fulcrum (elevation 1,629 meters). Still, the elevation change can cause sufficient cooling of air during humid summer months, leading to limited temperate rainforest coverage.
23. Anleoan Palm Coast
One of the few places that palms have maintained a permanent foothold is along the easternmost coast of southern Mu. Swamps are pervasive and line the coast with their unique floral offerings.
24. Dekian Reefs
Though somewhat reduced from its Miocene counterpart, the Dekian Reefs have survived, running for a few thousand kilometers along Mu’s southern coast.

Description

With one week remaining to submit entries to this final stage, a geography map has been provided for submitter reference. Descriptions for each named place can be found below.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 23:59 UTC SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15TH

A link to the contest Google Doc can be found here: docs.google.com/document/d/1q1…

Mu is alone once again, a strange and exotic land that sits far from the rest of the world. #specevo #speculativeevolution #speculativebiology

Geographically Significant Locations:

1. Mulaskan Archipelago
The former land bridge now maintains a fraction of its biodiversity. Volcanism and orogeny have all but ceased, leaving these boreal bastions of a time long passed.
2. Atakomni Plateau
Though no longer possessing the highest peaks on the island, the landform maintains an average altitude in excess of 2,000 meters. Several minor glaciers have built up during the Pleistocene, particularly at the summit of Mt. Stalwart (elevation 3,758 meters).
3. South Sentinel Ridge
Though the North Sentinel Ridge has eroded into an outcropping of the Atakomni Plateau, its southern counterpart has persisted. The height of its tallest peak, Mt. Exuberance (elevation 2,826 meters), stands in stark contrast to the boreal wilderness of the Blustery Vale that lies along its northwestern slope.
4. Spookport Gulf
A deep water harbor that lies at the transition zone between temperate and boreal Mu. It marks the southernmost kelp forests on Mu’s east coast.
5. Maple River Valley
The Maple Lakelands remain, albeit as a confluence of deep rivers. These rivers provide a massive spawning ground for salmonid fish.
6. Dynatok River Valley
After the rhyolitic eruption of Mt. Dynater during the Middle Miocene, the Drathbar area became filled in with volcanic sediments. This, coupled with Mu’s newfound more southerly position, have created fertile growing conditions for forests.
7. Casigeyst River Valley
An arid river valley whose western bounds mark the transition zone of the Muvian temperate rainforest into more arid climates. Winters are markedly wet with dry, warm summers.
8. Bosparotem Plateau
The new roof of Mu can be found at the island’s center. Permanent glaciers dominate the summits of soaring peaks, the highest of which are Mt. Behemoth (4,533 meters) and the aptly named Mt. Mu (4,478 meters). The elevation-induced low temperature and hypoxia here are prohibitive to all but the most extreme flora and fauna.
9. Thylacal Kelp Forests
The western kelp forests stretch from the Casigeyst River Valley in the north to the Kelarbor Archipelago in the south. These vegetation communities are extremely productive due to the cooler waters permeating the west coast of the land mass.
10. Gogama Petrified Peaks
Though Behemornis and its associated community have long since gone extinct, their mound structures have persisted in a petrified state. As a result of orogenic processes, these mounds now form sheer outcroppings along a narrow stretch of the Bosparotem Plateau.
11. Kelarbor Archipelago
A consequence of the Pacific Plate’s subduction beneath the Muvian Plate is that new islands have begun to appear at their convergent boundary. The isles of Kelarbor are typically hot, dry, and rocky, with only drought-tolerant trees managing to gain much of a foothold, foliage-wise.
12. Berange Scrub Valley
One of the largest river valleys in Mu happens to carve through the enormous prairie found in the Beranushak Basin. This river system sees seasonal melt fill it’s contours and watering its grasses.
13. Blushak Desert
The only true desert in Mu lies within the Beranushak Basin. Though supplied by a river, the lower elevation makes the landscape barren and fit only for xeric shrubs and grasses. During the day, temperature can rise well over 40°C before dropping to just above freezing at night.
14. Hejarod Highlands
An extension of the Bosparotem Plateau, these highlands effectively separate southern Mu into an arid western half and a humid eastern half. With an average elevation of just over 1,000 meters, these highlands experience warmer summer temperatures than the plateau to the north. The Irate Falls cascade down its eastern slopes, emptying into the Rectsiren Inlet.
15. Rectsiren Inlet
An arm of Megalake Spifirnda, the Rectsiren Inlet sits out the mouth of what were previously the Siren Lakelands. The water here is less brackish and suitable for freshwater species.
16. Greesquil Volcanic Ridge
The collision of the Aleutian Plate with the Muvian Plate has placed the island’s most explosive volcanism in a new location. Nicknamed the “Emperor Range”, three large stratovolcanoes stand across the peninsula. A fourth submarine volcano is known to exist somewhere to the east.
17. Megalake Spifirnda
Formed through a combination of factors including the formation of the Greensquil Volcanic Ridge and the deposition of sediment from the Firplum Delta, this brackish sea is over twice the size of Lake Superior. Its western depths average 10-20 meters, while its eastern depths closer to the Mu Marine Gateway can drop as deep as 200 meters. It possesses enormous productivity, boasting swamps and marshlands on its shores and having a cool effect on the surrounding land.
18. Mu Marine Gateway
Formed as a result of orogeny, volcanism, and sediment deposition, this feature acts as a large, deep channel connecting Megalake Spifirnda to the Muvian Sea and rest of the global ocean. That it remains open is critical to the long term stability of the climate and ecosystems found in Mu’s interior.
19. Elvakerm River Valley
The Elvakerm River Valley is a collection of rivers that feed into Megalake Spifirnda. The marshes and forests along its banks are highly productive, with comfortable summers and mild winters. The Crowned Monarch Forest is a large forested region that can be found to its west.
20. Borodaptor Mountains
Formed by interactions between the Muvian Plate and the Pacific Plate, small hills have now been tossed skyward. These are the highest peaks in southern Mu, with Dreamsnatcher Peak (elevation 2,891 meters) standing as its highest point. These mountains will likely only continue to undergo uplift in the future.
21. Inespandive Bay
A bay fed by the Inespandive River, this feature is known for its abundance of swamps and near-shore reefs.
22. Triloyaz Mountains
Though the Borodaptor Mountains have begun their ascent, the uplift to the Triloyaz Mountains has been much less pronounced, with its highest peak being Mt. Fulcrum (elevation 1,629 meters). Still, the elevation change can cause sufficient cooling of air during humid summer months, leading to limited temperate rainforest coverage.
23. Anleoan Palm Coast
One of the few places that palms have maintained a permanent foothold is along the easternmost coast of southern Mu. Swamps are pervasive and line the coast with their unique floral offerings.
24. Dekian Reefs
Though somewhat reduced from its Miocene counterpart, the Dekian Reefs have survived, running for a few thousand kilometers along Mu’s southern coast.