Leopard Mountains: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:28, 20 December 2023

Situated at the far western edge of Oldeshire, just south of the former Oranjestad colony of Garbanzo, The Leopard Mountains stand as a remarkable mountain range, with its highest peak, Ravenmoore, located directly south of the town sharing its name. Primarily inhabited by nomadic tribes, this region hosts a distinctive ecosystem that's home to several unique and endangered species, some of which have sadly gone extinct, including the Ballzahkary macaque, the now-extinct Leopard bear (Oldeshire's only native bear), the Ballzahkary stag, and the Leopard Mountain badger.

The last image of the Leopard Bear, taken in 1889 near present-day Stonegate

Geology

The foundation of most of western Oldeshire's basement rock predates the Leopard Mountains and was formed during the Precambrian period. The Leopards themselves were shaped through three successive phases of Earth's geological evolution. The initial tectonic deformation phase primarily involves the "Anti"-Leopard Mountains, created about 300 million years ago in the Paleozoic Era due to continental collisions. These mountains were believed to be part of the Aarghorian orogeny, formed when Oldeshire and Oblitus tectonic plates collided, once rivalling the modern Athitican range. The second phase, during the Mesozoic Era before approximately 66 million years ago, saw the widespread extension and separation of the Earth's crust, giving rise to the present Leopard Mountains. The majority of the rocks comprising the surface were deposited in an ocean during that time. Finally, in the Paleogene and Neogene Periods, approximately 66 million to 1.8 million years ago, the Leopard chains experienced uplift due to magmatic pressure.

Natural resources

The Leopard Mountains boast a wealth of natural resources, including iron ore, lead ore, copper, silver, mercury, rock salt, phosphate, marble, anthracite coal, and natural gas, among others.

Legal Status

In 1931, explorers from Oranjestad charted and documented the mountains, then relatively unexplored outside of the local tribes. These explorations resulted in a claim on the mountains for the nation. However, no permanent settlement was attempted, leaving the legal claim to the mountain range in dispute. In 1946, the S.U.N. convened to settle the dispute, declaring the Leopard Mountains as open and freely accessible to all nations, with Oranjestad appointed as the Caretaker and Warden of this expansive and significant natural region.

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-'''The Leopard Mountains''' are a mountain range on the far western edge of [[Oldeshire]], just south of the former [[Oranjestad]] colony of [[Garbanzo]].The range's highest peak is Ravenmoore, directly south of the town of the same name. The Leopard mountains are primarily inhabited by nomadic tribes.
+Situated at the far western edge of [[Oldeshire]], just south of the former Oranjestad colony of [[Garbanzo]], '''The Leopard Mountains''' stand as a remarkable mountain range, with its highest peak, Ravenmoore, located directly south of the town sharing its name. Primarily inhabited by nomadic tribes, this region hosts a distinctive ecosystem that's home to several unique and endangered species, some of which have sadly gone extinct, including the Ballzahkary macaque, the now-extinct Leopard bear (Oldeshire's only native bear), the Ballzahkary stag, and the Leopard Mountain badger.
-The mountains are home to a number of plant and animal species unique in the Shire; many of them are endangered and some have already gone extinct. Examples include the Ballzahkary macaque, the Leopard bear (Oldeshire's only native bear; now extinct), the Ballzahkary stag, and the Leopard Mountain badger.
+[[File:leopardbear.jpg|450px|thumb|center|The last image of the Leopard Bear, taken in 1889 near present-day Stonegate]]
-==Geology==
+====Geology====
-The basement rock of most of western Oldeshire was formed during the Precambrian period, and is much older than the Leopard Mountains lying on the continent. The Leopard was formed during three subsequent phases of Earth's geology.
+The foundation of most of western Oldeshire's basement rock predates the Leopard Mountains and was formed during the Precambrian period. The Leopards themselves were shaped through three successive phases of Earth's geological evolution.
+The initial tectonic deformation phase primarily involves the "Anti"-Leopard Mountains, created about 300 million years ago in the Paleozoic Era due to continental collisions. These mountains were believed to be part of the Aarghorian orogeny, formed when Oldeshire and Oblitus tectonic plates collided, once rivalling the modern Athitican range.
+The second phase, during the Mesozoic Era before approximately 66 million years ago, saw the widespread extension and separation of the Earth's crust, giving rise to the present Leopard Mountains. The majority of the rocks comprising the surface were deposited in an ocean during that time.
+Finally, in the Paleogene and Neogene Periods, approximately 66 million to 1.8 million years ago, the Leopard chains experienced uplift due to magmatic pressure.
-The first tectonic deformation phase involves only the "Anti"-Leopard Mountains, which was formed in the Paleozoic Era (~300 million years ago) as the result of continental collisions.
+====Natural resources====
+The Leopard Mountains boast a wealth of natural resources, including iron ore, lead ore, copper, silver, mercury, rock salt, phosphate, marble, anthracite coal, and natural gas, among others.
-The Anti-Leopard Mountains are believed to have originally been formed as part of Aarghorian orogeny. These mountains were formed when Oldeshire and Oblitus tectonic plates collided, and were once a chain rivaling today's Athitican range.
+====Legal Status====
+In 1931, explorers from [[Oranjestad]] charted and documented the mountains, then relatively unexplored outside of the local tribes. These explorations resulted in a claim on the mountains for the nation. However, no permanent settlement was attempted, leaving the legal claim to the mountain range in dispute.
-A second phase took place during the Mesozoic Era (before ~66 My). It consisted of a widespread extension of the Earth's crust that rifted and separated the plates mentioned above. This extension was responsible for the formation of many thick intracontinental sedimentary basins including the present Leopard. Most of the rocks forming the surface of the present High Leopard were deposited under the ocean at that time.
+In 1946, the S.U.N. convened to settle the dispute, declaring the Leopard Mountains as open and freely accessible to all nations, with Oranjestad appointed as the Caretaker and Warden of this expansive and significant natural region.
-Finally, in the Paleogene and Neogene Periods (~66 million to ~1.8 million years ago), the mountain chains that today constitute the Leopard were uplifted through magmatic pressure.
-==Natural resources==
-The Leopard are rich in natural resources. There are deposits of iron ore, lead ore, copper, silver, mercury, rock salt, phosphate, marble, anthracite coal and natural gas among other resources.
-==Legal Status==
-In 1931, explorers from Oranjestad (via Garbanzo), trekked south to map and categorize the mountains, which at that time were relatively unknown except to local tribes. The mountains were claimed for the nation. No attempt was made to permanently settle the mountains, thus calling into dispute any legal claim to the mountain range.
-In 1946, the dispute was settled when the S.U.N. convened declared that the Leopard Mountains were to be used openly and freely by all nations, with Oranjestad acting as Caretaker and Warden.