Re: [Traveller_TNE] Living on a Terraformed Low Tech World

--- Peter Gray <> wrote:

> >
>
> I'll give my prognosis, a "what I would do if I were you." Terraformed worlds, particularly one
> that is only a few hundred years old since settlement, are likely to be mostly desert. Soil
> development can take up to 10,000 years, especially in the interiors of larger continents.

I just read the message on the age of your world's terraformation. Will still be about 60-70%
desert however, as pioneer plants and lichens haven't yet broken down bare rock into viable soils
except in coastal and riverine areas. Good growing soils, particularly prairie and temperate
forest soils, will just beginning to emerge. Ocean salinity will be approaching terrestrial
levels, and evaporite minerals (gypsum, halite, and niter) should be rather plentiful. River
sedimentation will be sufficient for aquifer development, though freestanding limestone and
sandstone aquifers are still millions of years into the future. Majority of plants will consist of
lichens and moss in the deserts, and coniferous trees in more developed areas.

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