[quote=Genesis;502121]Silk is from bugs, you know?

I know, but it is farmed by cultivating mulberry trees and mulberry moths, which feed on the trees.

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Ofcourse you know... Silly me.

Is having cotton-fields in Uldum far'fetched? The Tol'vir use irrigation and have a major river flowing across their country.

[quote=Jungleluke;502123]Silk worm farms require a very delicate ecosystem to survive. You can't just throw a few up into some random branches and magically get a plantation. You need to get the right plants, the right climate, the right predators (ones that eat the silk worms' predators, instead of preying on them), and a lot of luck with weather.

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Rationalizing the irrational since 2005.

[quote=Cantus;502130]That's probably also one of the reasons that silk is quite expansive.

More Magic and Mayhem has a large section on ley lines and runes, but it portrays them as reflections, not causes, of the existing physical state of the region. Ley lines patterns in rune form involve transplanting the energies of regions to whatever.

I didn't find anything else major on ley lines and climate.

Besides the mountain giants carving the mountains, Shadows & Light has a section on Deathwing that implies that he made the mountains, and it says that he redid them to cause strife among mortals.

Also, as a side note, I think mountains on Azeroth are made of mountain giants.

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...what just happened?

I think Blasted Lands, after absorbing the influence of Hellfire Peninsula for so long, became magically heated, terribly so, which is why it is so dry.

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I should make an Azeroth version of this map:

Could be interesting, not?

Could also be really, really confusing.

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But why exactly? We need more information about the physics of Azeroth, but I think that's not doable because Blizzard wants it to be flexible maybe? (nothing wrong with that ofcourse)

Can someone enlighten me if ocean currents are influenced by the movings of the planet?

The Corriolis force is shaping which way the currents (both sea and air) curve around. That's about all I took out of geography classes in school.

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Especially with the Maelstrom.

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Damn, forgot about that shithole... Ah who cares, bye bye Paint map!

I thought I'd make a speculative post about geology in a few regions that stand out to me. Mind you, I'm going off principles that apply to geology on this planet. I'm going to assume that plate tectonics exist on Azeroth as a real force.

The Barrens - Most definitely sedimentary rock. Probably limestone and/or sandstone. The light color suggests a limestone or quartz aronite. The existence of petroleum deposits (Sludge Fen) lends further credence to this theory. With the Cataclysm there is some very obvious faulting going on at the Battlescar and the Great Divide. The latter region has been injected with lava, which post-Cataclysm will probably harden into basalt.

The Badlands - This region seems to be inspired by Monument Valley in the Southwest US. More sedimentary rock, with lots of iron oxide judging by the red color. Probably more sandstone, though it could be siltstone, mudstone, shale, etc. Deathwing's passage superheated a lot of the rocks, probably transforming it to obsidian.

Thousand Needles - This is clearly a canyon cut by a river, whose erosive properties left behind the titular "needles". It's clearly sedimentary rock by the look of things (although, maybe slightly metamorphosed - the layers in the rock seem a little warped). It's likely the same formation of limestone/sandstone found it the Barrens, although much older. Before the Cataclysm, the Shimmering Flats seemed to have been the remains of a vast inland sea fed by the river that carved the canyon. The sea evaporated, leaving the salt flats. My personal theory is that the Sundering altered the course of this theoretical river, diverting its waters into Feralas and leaving Thousand Needles to slowly dry out.

Dun Morogh - High jagged peaks means one thing: a plate boundary. My guess is Lordaeron colliding with Khaz Modan and the oceanic crust that was between them subducted at a low angle resulting in high mountains rather far from the actual plate boundary. That said, there's really no telling what type of rock would be present. From what we see, it's a pale brown rock (also in Loch Modan). Probably lots of granitic intrusions and metamorphism. The formation of alpine glaciers as the rising plateau gained elevation would have carved the peaks and valleys we see today. It's entirely possible that the valley comprising the middle of Loch Modan and the Wetlands were carved by a large glacier in the distant past.

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Now imagine a music, dear readers, heavy with cellos at a rapid staccato, cellos held between thighs in a dark room, the little room of Harry's chest as he walks with his teammates to the opening gate of his first Test of Cribbage. They are a rag-tag group of champions, this bunch, and, with Harry, the near-perfect new god, they know they will dominate the day. Harry is a world laced with rivers of wizardly blood. He is ready.

Do you study geology?

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I took several courses while I was in college for my physical science requirements, and happened to love the shit out of it (I had a great prof). It wasn't my major, but I was so fascinated by it and have been an "amateur" geologist ever since. This documentary on the BBC explains the basic pillars of geology. I found it interesting - very good for a layman's introduction to the science itself as well as the history of the subject, and it has the added bonus of all those breathtaking vistas.

@ Oma:

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Now imagine a music, dear readers, heavy with cellos at a rapid staccato, cellos held between thighs in a dark room, the little room of Harry's chest as he walks with his teammates to the opening gate of his first Test of Cribbage. They are a rag-tag group of champions, this bunch, and, with Harry, the near-perfect new god, they know they will dominate the day. Harry is a world laced with rivers of wizardly blood. He is ready.

Thanks. I will be sure to check it out. Mind if I use you then for my personal pet project? I'm curious as to your thoughts on the geological features of Gilneas and Silverpine.

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Climate of Gilneas:

Gilneas is a peninsula, there possibly is a harsh wind from sea, this wind and the waters of the sea erode the coast and forms the cliffs (the rocks that are left are the harder ones (granite), but the one that erodes the fastest is likely CaCO3(s). This wind from the sea takes clouds full of water with it > the clouds cool down > condensation > rain in the lands. Gilneas also has mountains + the Gilnean Wall in the North > clouds can't get over it (orographic lift)> pouring rains. It is also a sea-climate (Cf, Köppen climate classification). Some pinetrees grow in the cooler, higher places and are more in-land. Deciduous trees grow in the somewhat warmer and lower places of Gilneas along the coasts.


I don't think subduction is in Khaz Modan, we would have seen explosive volcanoes if that was the case. I think it's just convergention between a plate from the Southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms and the plate of Khaz Modan. And I always thought that the Wetlands look very much like a river delta (as the one of the Nile), so sediments from the mountains (Dun Morogh) are moved by the rivers > come out in the mouth of the river > sink > river delta grows.

Thanks, Junglejuke! Anyone else have an assessment of Gilneas and Silverpine geology?

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Chock full of untapped Oldgod blood.

*Ahem*

But it's fine I am also following geography lessons thrice a week (even had an exam today about the countries surrounding the Mediteranean Sea.

If you have questions about any other not-so-magical area, post it!

Experts predict that Azeroth-world will be fully flushed down the toilet by 2436.

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Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge - Part Two

But does the Maelstrom only spin, or does it also suck water in?