Creating new biomes, drawing and describing them

[jbgibson]

Look up an excellent book series: The Gandalara Cycle - it is set in about that situation, only bigger. The low-low-lowlands are hundreds of kilometers wide and several thousand long. The climate the author came up with was *extremely* hot and dry. Virtually all rainfall above is Virga, evaporating before reaching the valley floor.

[Elterio Delgard]

Interesting, it would make sense water evaporates yes but how about the underground water source...

[Elterio Delgard]

To go back with what Azelor said, I wonder if a gigantic and deep crevasse in the desert would allow hidden streams of water and underground lakes to survive depsite the dry scorching heat. However, if we have such a landscape, what kind of ecosysteme would we find? I wouldn't see mushrooms, maybe some shade bushes and lots of giant insects would make it a plausible option. I wish I had lots of knowledge about those stuffs but sadly I don't and I will admit I may be a little ''buzy & lazy''. If I inspire myself from Terraria, I would see giant ants and desert worm-like creatures living underground and maybe they would be both an essential to maintain the ecosystem healthy by providing numerous grottos and tunnels in which water and vegetation could grow out of the sun's scorching rays. That being said, I would maybe have most of the animals and bugs being nocturnal so they are most active when it is most cool. One thing which could be interesting would be to have giant aloes types of plants, succulants. The lack of light would also make it a quite hostile and dangerous environment for humans even though they could bring torches. Last thing we want is to run out of fuel and then oops pitch black and dangerous pits all around. Also, with ants and worms, I would also imagine the fissure having quite the labyrinth.

[XCali]

What a Crystal Spires Biome.
A place filled with growing crystals. I feel the heart of such a biome would be the most dangerous as there could be creatures that so adapted to the growing crystals that they have become part of this ever expanding crystaline area.
The types of caves you would find here would also be very different.
Anyway something I thought about.

[Azélor]

Put the crevasse at a high latitude. High enough that the Sun only lit it at the Zenith, for a few hours at most, assuming a small axial tilt.

And yes, Earth has large quantities of water deep in the crust and even in the core.

Organisms living under the surface might have low oxygen or more likely none at all. This greatly limits the number of species that could live there. Mostly bacteria and small organisms but Im no biologist so I could be wrong.

Also, a desert does not need to be hot, as long as water is scarce. Mars is a good example of this. Its cold and the planet will be at the closest its been for 60 000 years the 27th of July, so Its a good time to look at it up close.

[kuleenvid]

I would imagine lots of fern type plants growing. SO maybe some edible wild leaves.

[kuleenvid]

it would make sense water evaporates yes but how about the underground water source...