#continental deposits

[strixhaven]

other people’s fantasy settings and maps being kind of nonsense and completely divorced from how things like climate, mineral deposits, and trade routes would work in a grounded, semi-realistic context doesn’t bother me all that much. not my own stuff though i need to build a world from plate tectonics up or it Will drive me absolutely bonkers

[mapsontheweb]

The Driftless Region in the American Midwest that is characterized by its lack of glacial drift. Glacial drift refers to the deposits of sediments left behind by glaciers, and the Driftless Area is unique because it was not covered by the last continental glaciers during the last Ice Age. As a result, the landscape in the Driftless Area is distinct from the surrounding regions that were influenced by glacial activity.

[thecreaturecodex]

Protean, Renegwe

"Fang of Nulzann" © Hex Entertainment, by Martin de Diego. Accessed at his deviantArt here

[My final original species of protean, this time embodying plate tectonics as a manifestation of change. I knew I wanted to do a continental drift-themed protean, and this was one of the first art pieces I found when embarking on this project. As a reminder, all of my protean species have a name that's an anagram. I'll be posting the solutions to those at the end of the week.]

Protean, Renegwe CR 19 CN Outsider (extraplanar) This massive creature appears like a snake with a humanoid torso, its body composed of black volcanic rock. A snort hood grows between its head and neck, and a pair of horns like bent stalagmites grows from its head. It shimmers with heat.

A renegwe is a protean devoted to some of the most dramatic changes in the cosmos—plate tectonics. Renegwes are the shepherds of whole continents, observing them move over the course of thousands or millions of years, and steering them if their whims dictate they speed up or slow down. Rather than the immediate thrills of transforming a person into an animal, or the destruction of killing enemies and overthrowing governments, renegwes prefer the gradual pleasures of growing mountains, eroding canyons and rock formation. That is not to say that they cannot be dramatic—a renegwe who grows bored with a landmass’ progress might start earthquakes with magic, or heat up a lava reservoir to re-activate a dormant volcano. 

Few renegwes care much about the short lives of humanoids directly, but may become territorial of particular mineral deposits and protect them from mining or other exploitation. They might also come into conflict with magical creatures that seek to stop or mitigate the destruction their earthquakes and volcanoes engender. A renegwe prefers to fight atop or within a solid surface—although they can fly, they feel much more comfortable when touching earth or stone. Renegwes spew lava from their mouths and can fire exploding boulders from their hands. They have relatively few spell-like abilities compared to other proteans, and prefer simple melee tactics to pitched battles at a distance. 

Renegwes are more common outside the Maelstrom than in it. They dwell mostly deep underground on planets of the Material Planes, or in places where the Planes of Earth and Fire overlap. From these magma-rich bastions, they may plot against the shaitans and efreeti—both of these genies types are lawful, and seek to impose order where the renegwes prefer chaos. Renegwes are natural allies of magma dragons, but these allegiances may be fractious and marked by power struggles. Few renegwes have much interest in the politics of the protean choirs, but may work for a given protean lord on a temporary basis when their interests overlap. The protean lord most sympathetic to the renegwes is Etna, herself a being of volcanic power.

Renegwe        CR 19 XP 204,800 CN Gargantuan outsider (chaotic, earth, extraplanar, fire, protean) Init +6; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Perception +31, tremorsense 120 ft. Aura cloak of chaos (DC 26)

Defense AC 34, touch 12, flat-footed 32 (-4 size, +2 Dex, +4 deflection, +22 natural) hp 330 (20d10+220) Fort +23, Ref +20, Will +26 DR 15/adamantine and lawful; Immune acid, fire; Resist electricity 10, sonic 10; SR 30 Defensive Abilities amorphous anatomy, fiery body, freedom of movement, rock catching

Offense Speed 40 ft., burrow 80 ft. (earth glide), fly 80 ft. (good) Melee bite +31 (2d8+15 plus 2d6 fire), gore +31 (2d8+15 plus 2d6 fire), 2 claws +31 (2d6+15/19-20 plus 2d6 fire), tail slap +29 (2d8+7 plus 2d6 fire plus grab) Ranged 2 lava bombs +18 touch (4d6 bludgeoning plus 2d6 fire) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon (80 ft. cone, 20d6 fire, Ref DC 31), earth mastery, trample (2d8+22 plus 2d6 fire, DC 35)

Spell-like Abilities CL 19th, concentration +27 Constant—cloak of chaos (self only, DC 26) At will—chaos hammer (DC 22), scorching ray, stone shape 3/day—earthquake, empowered flame strike (DC 23), greater dispel magic, quickened wall of stone, word of chaos (DC 25) 1/day—clashing rocks (DC 27), repel metal or stone, wall of lava (DC 26)

Statistics Str 41, Dex 15, Con 32, Int 14, Wis27, Cha 26 Base Atk +20; CMB +39 (+41 bull rush, +43 grapple); CMD 55 (57 vs. bull rush, cannot be tripped) Feats Awesome Blow, Combat Reflexes, Empowered SLA (flame strike), Flyby Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (wall of stone) Skills Bluff +29, Disguise +26, Fly +25, Intimidate +29, Knowledge (geography, planes) +23, Perception +31, Sense Motive +29, Survival +29 Languages Abyssal, Draconic, Ignan, Protean, Terran, telepathy 100 ft. SQ change shape (dragon or elemental, elemental shape IV or form of the dragon III), no breath 

Ecology Environment underground (Maelstrom) Organization solitary, pair or geoform (3-6) Treasure standard

Special Abilities Breath Weapon (Su) Any creature that takes damage from a renegwe’s breath weapon is coated in lava, taking 10d6 points of fire damage for the next 1d3 rounds (no save). Change Shape (Su) A renegwe can change shape at will, but does not gain the healing from changing shape as is typical for proteans. It can only assume the form of dragons or elementals with the earth or fire subtypes. Earth Mastery (Ex) When both a renegwe and its opponent are touching the ground, the renegwe gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls. Fiery Body (Ex) A renegwe’s body is blazing hot. It deals 2d6 points of fire damage with all of its natural attacks, and any creature striking it with a melee touch attack, natural weapon or unarmed strike takes 2d6 points of fire damage. Lava Bombs (Su) As a standard action, a renegwe can fire two lava bombs, one from each hand. Each lava bomb is treated as a ranged touch attack with a range of 200 feet and no range incremenent. A creature struck takes 4d6 points of bludgeoning damage and 2d6 fire, and then the lava bomb explodes, dealing 10d6 points of fire damage in a 40 foot radius (Reflex DC 29 half). If a creature is in the radius of both lava bombs, it makes a single save at a -4 penalty, and treats the fire damage as coming from a single source. A renegwe can use its lava bombs once every 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma based.

[coal15]

An excerpt from the first chapter of my WIP bucktommy/Tevan fic Family, A Growing Constellation.

Summary: Buck and Tommy have built a life together. Eddie is a proud but kinda bummed out father. There's a conspiracy involving rafts.

***********

In the meantime another looming milestone arrived, this one bittersweet. The official end of Christopher’s childhood. His years of hard work paid off and he got into Oxford with an impressive personal savings and a boatload of scholarships. Eddie did his best to hide the dread of putting his baby on an airplane that would deposit him ten and a half hours’ flight away from home. Everyone else he knew . . . well, their kids were either still in high school, transitioned into a trade, or attending college somewhere in the continental United States, so it wasn't the same situation. In a way he stood alone, and he couldn’t help but feel slight pangs of jealousy. Yes, of course he was proud of Christopher. Obviously. His kid getting into Oxford? It was a lot for a father to brag about. But knowing that after their final good bye at the airport they wouldn’t even be standing in the same room together for over three months . . . it was almost impossible to keep his heart from breaking.

The day came. The day was awesome. And it also sucked. The entire 118 went to see Christopher off, and Athena held it together better than any of them. A few tears, some choked up parting words, and to her credit she waited a whole forty eight hours before teasing everyone else. Acting like Chris was off on a mission to another galaxy or something. Please.

[i-was-today-years-old-when]

i learned that the country of Wales and the US state of Pennsylvania are two ends of the same coal deposit. Known as the "Transatlantic Seam" it was split by millions of years of continental drift (x)

[cjlinton]

Custom Notebook Commissions Open

One of my non-TTRPG selves is a bookbinder with Amethyst Alchemist, my partner's sustainable bookbinding and embroidery business, and we are currently open for commissions from now until December 3!

These are handmade, custom notebooks from recycled and new archival quality materials, and they make perfect holiday gifts.

The commission form is here.

Slots are limited to ensure pre-holiday delivery in the continental United States—all commissions will be shipped on or before December 18 to meet the USPS Priority Mail deadline.

Text version and more details below the cut:

Commission Options

Option 1: Mini Notebook

A plain mini notebook without art embedded in the cover starts at $40.

Option 2: Designed Notebook

A designed notebook with art in the cover starts at $125.

Art embeds include embroidery, cross stitch, and felt appliqué—we work with you on art style and fabric selection and provide a sketch of the art embed before starting work.

Both options include a choice of over 200 fabrics, white watercolor endpaper, and a binding thread of your choice.

Pricing Information

Beyond the base price, cost increases are based on:

Dot grid or lined pages instead of blank (+$5)

Cost of additional materials required (e.g. fabric purchase, waxing custom thread, custom endpapers, custom interior paper like watercolor or aged)

Time to make the art embed

Payment

Payment is made with a 50 percent deposit up front, 50 percent on completion. Do not until we've confirmed we can take your commission and we’ve discussed and agreed on pricing—we send invoices! Books are shipped upon receipt of second payment.

You can check out the Amethyst Alchemist Instagram for more examples. We're excited to work with you to design the exact book you (or a loved one) are looking for! Again, commissions close at 11:59pm EST on December 3rd and won’t reopen until 2024, so reach out now!

[aswegoalong72]

Reyal At A Glance - The Desert Rings

Map by @nexelart (twit)

The Desert Rings - Oceanside Paradise

The Desert Rings are the second most densely populated location in Southern Reyal, outside of the Land of Tenav's Dawn. Here is the location where many Alkanites fled to during the early migrations of the then recently civilized Lyratet. Surprisingly, the area is very fitting for their beliefs, as Alkan itself is a fairly salty world!

Today, while still being heavily in Alkanite territory, much of the religion in the region has switched more towards those who believe Reyal has magical abilities, or just one of the many flavors of Tenavism. Religious tensions have died down with the rise of globalization, and it is now a much calmer, happier place than it used to be.

The Desert Rings are located around the Great Southern Ocean, which is Reyal's only ocean. While seemingly inhospitable at first, due to the Lyratet's love for smaller lakes and other bodies of water, they quickly adapted to the saltwater filled environment.

The rings formed as a result of colliding continental plates, and can be very easily compared to the Ring of Fire on Earth, albeit much more pronounced due to Reyal's heavier geological activity. The region is very prone to quakes and volcanic activity, although the Lyratet have come up with ways to deal with this.

To make matters more interesting, a few hundred million years ago, a large comet hit the northern half of the ocean, digging up enough soil to create a small island. This island is now known as Therikine, which is a fairly important hub in the region for trade, mining, and paleontology.

u'un Nea'terno

u'un Nea'terno, or the Primal Desert, is one of the most inhospitable places on Reyal for habitation. Due to the mountains in the region, moisture is constantly wicked away layer by layer, creating a desert that never sees any rain towards the center of the area. Temperatures can reach up to 29C with no cloud cover, and the average rainfall is less than half a centimeter per decade. There have been wet periods in the past, but they've been incredibly far and few between. During these times, however, the desert has come alive, sporting very unique lifeforms that take advantage of the temporary situation. They hibernate the rest of the time, sometimes for centuries. As such, the region is an amazing time capsule for life, and has been the heavy focus of paleontologists and biologists in recent years.

Therikine

Therikine is considered to be the holy grail of Lyratet life. During early settlement, the region was discovered to sport a very unique biosphere, due to being so isolated from the rest of the world; many new types of food were discovered, with the most important of them being the components for ajjen. Ajjen is a traditional herbal brew which contains several stimulating chemicals, much like coffee here on Earth. Since its discovery, it has spread through the world like wildfire, and is on par in terms of consumption with just regular water.

On top of this, Therikine has one of the largest known reserves of rare earth minerals that are easily extractable, and is home to a series of caves that house some incredibly well preserved fossils, which were discovered by a team of scientists and engineers from the Global Resource Committee much by accident. They were searching for new phosphorus deposits initially, but two scientists used some ground penetrating radar to discover the caves after finding some loose fossils on the surface.

Gallak

Gallak, meaning "Long Shore" in the native tongue of the region, is the capitol of the Gallak United Territories. The city is the most populated in the region by far, boasting around ~163 million people. Gallak is the Alkanite's equivalent to Tyrateol, albeit much smaller in comparison to the hulking giant. Founded by settlers during the third exodus of Alkanites from the Land of Tenav's Dawn, Gallak quickly grew, slowly absorbing surrounding villages, all before turning into what it is today.

As religious tensions died down heavily over the centuries since its founding, Gallak has become more of a tourist town for those who wish to bathe in the warm, sunny waters of the Great Southern Ocean. On top of this, Gallak is known for its algae based dyes, which are only able to be grown in this area. The byproducts from bleaching the algae are added to food, leading to a unique yet savory and nutritious style of food. That's it for this entry; thanks for reading! Next week, we'll cover Therikine in more detail! Until then!

Directory: Intro | Climate | the Land of Tenav's Dawn | the Desert Rings | Therikine | the Great Central Desert Mountains | the North Glacial Plains | the Yuniv-Semat Basin | Juleg Marrdev Technocracy | Yuniv-Semat Trail | Ro | Velgae

[todaysdocument]

Statement of John Crosley, Son of Former Slave Prince Crosley Who Served in the Continental Army

Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs Series: Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service

I William Spencer of Lyme in the State of Connecticut aged 54 years on oath depose and say that I am a Grandson of Israel Spencer formerly of East Haddam deceased. My Grandfather was for many years a Justice of the Peace for the County of Middlesex as I have understood. At the time of his death his papers came into the hands of my father. Some years afterwards my father moved into the State of Mississipi and when he went away the most valuable of the old papers in his possession were handed on to me and the rest were destroyed. I have never been able to find among those that were left any record of marriages performed by my grandfather, and if there ever was any it was probably destroyed. I do not believe that there is anything of the kind now in existence. My father has died since his removal. I was acquainted with Prince Crosly before his death and also with his wife Caroline Crosley. Before his death they lived together as husband and wife and I have no doubt but that they were married by my grandfather as is represented by him. She has never been again married. Wm Spencer {State of Connecticut New London County} ss Lyme Sept 24 A.D. 1838 Personally appeared William Spencer signer of the foregoing deposition and before me made oath to the truth of his issue. And I further certify that the said deposant is personally known to me & that he is a credible witness. Richard E Selden Jr Justice of peace

[mckitterick]

Manatee Bay, Florida, reports ocean temperature of 101.1°F (38°C), a global record

Ocean temperatures are also breaking records in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean this week.

The ocean has warmed unabated since 1970, having absorbed more than 90% of excess heat from the climate system, and is now seven degrees hotter than normal.

Why is this bad?

Rising global temperatures decrease oxygen solubility in water, increase the rate of oxygen consumption via respiration, and reduce the introduction of oxygen from the atmosphere and surface waters into the ocean interior by increasing stratification and weakening ocean overturning circulation.

Low-oxygen zones increase production of N2O (a potent greenhouse gas), reduce biodiversity, alter food webs, and negatively affect food security and livelihoods. Both acidification and rising temperature are linked with deoxygenation and combine with low-oxygen conditions to affect biogeochemical, physiological, and ecological processes.

Global warming is the primary cause of ongoing deoxygenation. Models project further oxygen declines during the 21st century, even with ambitious emission reductions.

But wait, there's more.

How could ocean warming be catastrophic?

Clathrates are deposits of methane trapped within ice on the bottom of the ocean, usually off the continental shelf where decaying biological material has flowed from the land into the seas for millennia.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, possessing global-warming potential 72× greater than carbon dioxide.

Sudden release of large amounts of natural gas from long-frozen methane clathrate deposits likely were responsible for Earth's sudden runaway warming 630 million years ago, the Permian-Triassic extinction event, and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Our greatest hope right now is that most clathrates lie deep under the ocean where temperatures are less likely to rise rapidly enough to melt their ice caps.

However, some methane clathrate deposits are much shallower, making them far more vulnerable to warming. A deposit off Canada in the Beaufort Sea and another in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf are as shallow as 45 meters, so even slight ocean warming could quickly release gas from the currently frozen methane.

Not less than 1,400 gigatons of methane currently lurk under the Arctic submarine permafrost, with up to 50 gigatons of methane hydrate highly likely to be abruptly released at any time.

A release on this scale would increase the methane content of the planet's atmosphere by a factor of twelve, equivalent in greenhouse effect to doubling the level of CO2.

Recognizing this threat led to the "Clathrate Gun" hypothesis. A 2012 study concluded that melting these Arctic methane clathrates would mean a 1000-fold free methane increase in a single pulse, increasing atmospheric temperatures by more than 6°C in 80 years.

(map of methane clathrate deposits worldwide)

The worst part of all this horror is that such a sudden warming is also likely to set off other methane clathrate deposits across the world, sending Earth into an ever-increasing temperature spiral akin to those ancient extinction events.

So, yeah, ocean temperatures like this are not just red flags, but radioactively glowing warning signs of impending worldwide disaster.

[memento-morri-writes]

Hey!!! Since you said you have a lot figured out for your WIPs I'm interested in your answers!!

what natural resources does each nation have that the others don't? do they export/trade it at all? (For any WIP you wanna answer for!)

@bloodlessheirbyjacques 👀❤️‍🔥

JACQUES, I LOVE YOU!!!!!! I'll try to keep this at least somewhat brief, but be warned, you have NO idea what floodgates you have just opened. (I actually intended to make a post like this literally over a year ago, so thank you for helping me make it!!)

Get ready for:

Econ 101 - A Crash-Course in Continental Trade Policy

Before we get started, here's some things you might find helpful:

a map of the continent (see below)

an explanation of why Anvia and Oryn don't get along

under the cut because hoo boy, this is a LOT.

Anvia, the kingdom where ATQH takes place (and which Fallon rules) is primarily an agricultural society. The country's position in the middle of the continent, plus the river running through the kingdom providing fertile land, gives makes it the best-suited area for agriculture on the continent. (Side Note: It gets colder as you got west-northwest on this continent. Oryn is cold, with long winters and short summers, while Oraine is extremely hot and the land dries up quickly.)

They grow crops and raise animals not only for their own survival, but for export to the neighboring nations. Anvia also has a decent number of craftspeople living in its larger cities, who use crop byproducts (or non-food crops) and animal products to make other products, such as textiles, leather products, etc.

Thus, Anvia's main products/exports are food crops (apples, wheat, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, lettuce, cabbages, carrots, peas, hops, among other things), created food products (wine, ale, baked goods, jams, jellies, preserves) as well as animal products (largely wool, but things like eggs, cheese, and milk may also be exported), and craftsproduts (textiles and leather products, for example).

Due to the fact that most of Anvia is farmland, be it crop fields or livestock pastures, there is very little opportunity for logging. Even the areas that haven't been developed for farming are largely prairie-like areas. Also, Anvia lacks substantial access to mountains or mineral deposits for mining. So they are lacking in construction materials such as timber, stone, and metals.

Oryn, on the other hand, is ripe with construction goods. They have massive mines scattered throughout the kingdom, especially along the mountain range that borders with Anvia. (Ironkeep, the fortress to the Northeast of Westcliff, is a major stronghold built to protect Oryn's most profitable mines.) Additionally, a massive portion of the kingdom is covered in forests, so logging is another major industry.

(Side Note: Kristopher's father and the current king of Oryn, Pierre, has increased both of these industries massively. The working conditions in both tend to be hazardous, with many people being injured or killed. (Fun Fact: If you want to know how Pierre runs his kingdom, listen to Eat Your Young by Hozier.) Kristopher believes that his father is ruining Oryn, not only by ruining much of its natural land, but also by working the people so hard.)

Notably, Oryn is also home to significant number of craftspeople, specializing in blacksmithing, metalworking, and jeweling. Orynian weapons and armor are said to be stronger and more durable than any others, and jewelry made by Orynian jewelers with Orynian stones is highly prized across the continent and beyond.

Oryn's main exports are lumber, stone, metal (raw, processed, and crafted into items), and jewels (raw, processed, and made into jewelry).

However, what Oryn severely lacks is fertile farmland. Not only is most of the land covered in trees, but the soil is quite rocky -- far from ideal for large-scale farming. (The hilly, mountainous terrain doesn't help.)

So, you can probably see why Oryn and Anvia need each other. They are forced to trade with one another to ensure the survival of both kingdoms. However, as I've explained in the past, the two kingdoms have a long history of tension between them -- which actually was the result of conflict over resources to begin with. However, despite this obvious codependency, neither one has been willing to suck up their pride and open direct negotiations between the two nations. (Fallon has tried several times during her rule, but has never once received a response from Pierre.)

So, this is where Oraine steps in. Oraine has a very hot environment, and aside from a few choice crops, not much of trade value grows there. (Their main exports, aside from a few "exotic delicacies", are fancy goods, such as fine clothes, art, and fancy furniture.) However, what Oraine does have is massive amounts of accessible coastline. Because of this, they have a long history of ship-building and maritime trade. Fortuitously for Oraine, Anvia and Oryn's border is mostly treacherous mountains, which makes overland travel difficult.

So, at some point in the past few centuries, some clever Orainian had an idea, and Orain graciously stepped in, offering to conduct trade between the two kingdoms -- for a fee, of course. Eager to continue their mutual cold-shoulder treatment, Anvia and Oryn were quick to accept the proposal. It was agreed upon that both Anvia and Oryn would be able to use Orainian ships to send their goods to each other, to Oraine, and beyond.

There are multiple companies (each owned by wealthy merchant families) that offer these services, both within the continent and beyond, and each is free to set their own price and negotiate their own service contracts with individuals, companies, or the nations themselves. However, they are charge a hefty tax that goes directly to the pockets of the ruler (currently Empress Adrienne) of Oraine.

Not only that, but Orainian merchants are well aware of how necessary their services are to both Anvia and Oryn. As such, their fees are often ridiculously overpriced. And Anvia and Oryn pay them, because they don't have any other choice. (Well, they could choose to talk to each other and begin their own trading initiatives instead of settling for Oraine's horrid prices, but why would they ever do that?)

To tie all this back to the messy international politics of the continent, the Empress of Oraine has her own fleet of trading ships that carry out trades on her behalf. It is these ships that the rulers of Anvia and Oryn are required to use when they wish to send something more between them for political purposes. Orainian leaders have long claimed this is to "supervise" and "prevent increased hostility", but in reality it's just another way to line the ruler's pockets.

The rulers of both kingdoms have signed contracts with the Empire, including a rate of charge for the service. The Empress continually pushes to raise said rate, with the monarchs attempt to negotiate a lower price -- or at least keep the same one they had before. But it's a precarious slope, because if they push too hard, the Empress could retract her offer altogether, which would be disastrous (at least in the short term) for the two kingdoms, until they were able to communicate in a civil manner and establish their own trade barriers. (Of course, the Empress has no intention of actually rescinding her offer -- it's far too profitable -- but the monarchs don't know that...)

And that's all, folks!! To anyone who read all 1,092 words of this, I am hugging you (if you accept), and buying you your favorite meal. Hopefully this isn't too boring of a read...

[lyledebeast]

Two Bens

Over Thanksgiving break, I spent a lot of time thinking about Turn, as one does, and it's brought me back to a post I started a while ago and never finished. A lot of interesting contrasts between Turn and the American Revolution story I am obsessed with in all seasons can be uncovered just by looking at the two protagonists who happen to share the same Christian name. While The Patriot's Benjamin Martin is presented as flawed but ultimately heroic because he's a God-fearin', gun-totin; American (even if he's not much else) Turn's Benjamin Tallmadge represents an attempt to make 18th C Patriots appealing to an audience that may not always already support them because of their political views.

Young, idealistic, and the son of a disillusioned French and Indian War veteran, Ben Tallmadge has more in common with Ben Martin's son, Gabriel, than with the man himself. But Gabriel, despite his angelic name, succumbs to the brutal nature of war in a way that Tallmadge never does. Tallmadge's idealism is challenged not by British actions but by American ones. He provides both the perspective from which the audience sees infighting among the Continental officers and hears the Loyalist side of things. Initially, Tallmadge cannot see how any American could support the British over the army fighting for their independence, but then he speaks to Reverand Worthington (before he shoots him, a task about which he, as a preacher's son, feels deeply conflicted). And then he has an affair with a widow who turns out to be a Loyalist. When she points out that the George taking food out of her and her child's mouths is not the one on the British throne, Tallmadge initially tries to argue with her. Then he remembers Washington's orders. Armies terrorizing civilians has consequences, even if that army claims to be fighting for freedom. Who knew?

Season three is a time of great transformation for Tallmadge. He learns from these experiences with Worthington and Sarah that Loyalists are not always entirely in the wrong and that Patriots sometimes are. It is a lesson that takes hold, as we see in his bonding with John Andre prior to the latter's execution. Tallmadge can see, now, that the similarities they share outweigh their differences, even as he also never falters in his commitment to independence. There is a nuance in Tallmadge's views of the British and their supporters that is completely foreign to Martin and all of the Patriots in the movie named for them.

While Turn acknowledges that there are good British officers as well as wicked ones--and that the same is true of Americans--The Patriot presents similar actions committed by the two sides in wildly different ways. "Sir, we're not slaves. We work this land as free men," says a man taken from his job in the fields and enlisted as an orderly on his employer's whim. Martin benefits from being part of a culture where Black people cannot safely refuse orders from White people whether he owns slaves or not, as we also see when he deposits his family with the Maroons after the British burn them out of yet another house. We see no words exchanged between Martin and any of the Maroons, but it is hard to imagine that their agreement has more to do with him not owning his housekeeper Abigale, who is now among them, than with a heavily armed militia being difficult to say no to. But Colonel Tavington forcibly enlisting Black men into the British Army? Awful. Terrible. Call the ACLU.

Another great example of nuance, who is she? comes when General Cornwallis accuses Martin, whose militia have been using British officers as target practice, of not engaging in gentlemanly conduct. "If the conduct of your officers is that of a gentlemen, then I take that as a compliment," says Martin, whose past gentlemanly activities include cutting enemies to pieces while they were still alive and then sending those pieces to their loved ones and, more recently, standing idly by as his men executed surrendering British soldiers. Clearly, these kinds of gentlemen are completely different animals.

In Turn, Tallmadge serves as our guide to perspectives that are patriotic (with big "p"s and small), loyal to the crown, idealist and cynical. There is vastly more effort in Turn than in The Patriot to represent the diversity that existed in Colonial American with one notable exception. Over the series four seasons, we meet exactly two indigenous people: a Queen's Ranger under Robert Rogers and a scout who works with Caleb Brewster aiding the Continental Army. Both vanish after a couple of episodes and are never heard from again. Their inclusion tells us that indigenous people existed during the American Revolution and offered aid to both sides, but not much else. The Patriot, meanwhile, is full of allusions to colonial genocide against the Cherokees hiding in plain sight. It evokes the memory of a Cherokee past in South Carolina every time Martin's tomahawk makes an appearance, not to mention the scalp bounties Rollins inquires about or the "little while" Martin tells us passed between the atrocities at Fort Wilderness and the Cherokees breaking their treaty with the French. The Cherokees were there; then they were gone. it doesn't take a history degree to understand what happened.

Turn represents a diversity of perspectives, but ultimately, the Patriots are still the heroes. The hypocrisy of people who stole Native land and enslaved African people complaining about the British violation of their "inalienable rights" is downplayed to make the main characters more palatable. The Patriot, meanwhile, gives us characters who are unabashedly irate at being treated by the British with less brutality than they visited on their Cherokee neighbors a few years earlier (while donning their own red coats!) But for all its numerous inaccuracies, I think The Patriot captures something true about how Patriots, especially in South Carolina, must have seen themselves. What kind of sanctimonious thugs claimed to be fighting for freedom from tyranny and violence when what they actually wanted was the freedom to not share the profits of their own tyranny and violence with the British empire? Of course, there ware Patriots with loftier and more sincerely held beliefs about liberty, independence, and human rights, like Ben Tallmadge. But considering the way Black and Native people continued to be treated in the new nation, it is clear the sanctimonious thugs prevailed all too often.

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Monday Musings

I was looking at Lagerstätten one day and realized that a vast number of them are found in Cambrian age rocks. It got me thinking: why are so many found in Cambrian rocks? Let's take a look and see what these have in common.

Emu Bay Shale, Australia

Lower Cambrian, depositional environment: restricted basins on inner shelf.

Kinzers Formation, Pennsylvannia

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: deep water, outer shelf

Burgess Shale, British Columbia

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: below storm wave base

Spence Shale, Utah and Idaho

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: continental shelf (both inner and outer).

Marjum Formation, Utah

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: deep water.

Wheeler Shale, Utah

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: below shelf where turbidites are deposited.

Weeks Formation, Utah

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: gentle slope below the carbonate platform.

Maotianshan Shale, China

Early-Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: below turbidity currents where turbidites form.

Sirius Passet Formation, Greenland

Middle Cambrian, depositional environment: slope below carbonate platform

Sinsk Formation, Russia

Early Cambrian, slope below carbonate platform

So, as we can see, most of these were formed in the Middle Cambrian below a carbonate platform or shelf also known as a reef. It would seem that if you want to be exceptionally preserved, live along the continental shelf slope and get buried in mudslides, or storm deposits.

Each of the red stars represents one of our lagerstätten. We can see that they were all within the tropics and all were on shallow continental shelves. Neat, huh?

[travelella]

Southern Ocean

In 2000, the Southern Ocean is the newest ocean recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization. 

It borders Antarctica in its entirety.

In terms of size, it’s the fourth-largest at 20,327,000 square kilometers. It extends out to 60 degrees South latitude.

It’s an extreme environment and is the least understood of the 5 oceans. This is because it is unexplored, far from populated areas, and has a severe climate. Despite the Southern Ocean being unexplored, about 80% of all oceans in the world are unexplored. There’s still a lot of work to do for ocean exploration.

Includes: Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area

Total Area: 21.96 million sq km

Area - Comparative: Slightly more than twice the size of the US

Coastline: 17,968 km

Climate: Sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

Ocean Volume: 71.8 million cu km

Percent of World Ocean Total Volume: 5.4%

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Bathymetry

Continental Shelf: A rather flat area of the sea floor adjacent to the coast that gradually slopes down from the shore to water depths of about 200 m (660 ft). Dimensions can vary: they may be narrow or nearly nonexistent in some places or extend for hundreds of miles in others. The waters along the continental shelf are usually productive in both plant and animal life, both from sunlight and nutrients from ocean upwelling and terrestrial runoff. Compared to the continental shelf found in other oceans, in Antarctica the continental shelf is narrower and much deeper. In addition, the continental shelf has been deeply scoured by glacial action. 

Astrid Ridge

Belgrano Bank

Gunnerus Ridge

Hayes Bank

Iselin Bank

Continental Slope: Where the ocean bottom drops off more rapidly until it meets the deep-sea floor (abyssal plain) at about 3,200 m (10,500 ft) water depth. The deep waters of the continental slope are characterized by cold temperatures, low light conditions, and very high pressures. Sunlight does not penetrate to these depths, having been absorbed or reflected in the water above. The continental slope can be indented by submarine canyons, often associated with the outflow of major rivers. In the case of Antarctica, the continental slope has been scoured by glacial action cutting troughs and canyons down the slope. Another feature of the continental slope are alluvial fans or cones of sediments carried downstream to the ocean by major rivers and deposited down the slope. 

Southern Ocean

Amery Basin

Filchner Trough

Hillary Canyon

Pobeda Canyon

Abyssal Plains: At depths of over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and covering 70% of the ocean floor, are the largest habitat on earth. Sunlight does not penetrate to the sea floor, making these deep, dark ecosystems less productive than those along the continental shelf. Despite their name, these “plains” are not uniformly flat; they are interrupted by features like hills, valleys, and seamounts.

Amundsen (Abyssal) Plain

Enderby (Abyssal) Plain

South Indian/Australian-Antarctic Basin

Southeast Pacific/Bellinghausen Basin

Weddell (Abyssal) Plain

Mid-Ocean Ridge: Rising up from the abyssal plain, is an underwater mountain range, over 64,000 km (40,000 mi) long, rising to an average depth of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Mid-ocean ridges form at divergent plate boundaries where two tectonic plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle. Tracing their way around the global ocean, this system of underwater volcanoes forms the longest mountain range on Earth. Fracture Zones are linear transform faults that develop perpendicular to the line of the mid-ocean ridge which can offset the ridge line and divide it into segments. 

Pacific-Antarctic Ridge

Undersea Terrain Features: The Abyssal Plain is commonly interrupted by a variety of commonly named undersea terrain features including seamounts, guyots, ridges, and plateaus. Seamounts are submarine mountains at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high formed from individual volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are distinct from the plate-boundary volcanic system of the mid-ocean ridges, because seamounts tend to be circular or conical. A circular collapse caldera is often centered at the summit, evidence of a magma chamber within the volcano. Flat topped seamounts are known as guyots. Long chains of seamounts are often fed by "hot spots" in the deep mantle. These hot spots are associated with stationary plumes of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth's mantle. These hot spot plumes melt through the overlying tectonic plate as it moves and supplies magma to the active volcanic island at the end of the chain of volcanic islands and seamounts. An undersea ridge is an elongated elevation of varying complexity and size, generally having steep sides. An undersea plateau is a large, relatively flat elevation that is higher than the surrounding relief with one or more relatively steep sides. Although submerged, these features can reach close to sea level. 

Akopov Seamounts

De Gerlache Seamounts

Endurance Ridge

Marie Byrd Seamount

Maud Rise

Scott Seamounts

Ocean Trenches: The deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by the process of subduction. Trenches form along convergent boundaries where tectonic plates are moving toward each other, and one plate sinks (is subducted) under another. The location where the sinking of a plate occurs is called a subduction zone. Subduction can occur when oceanic crust collides with and sinks under (subducts) continental crust resulting in volcanic, seismic, and mountain-building processes. Subduction can also occur in the convergence of two oceanic plates where one will sink under the other and in the process create a deep ocean trench. Subduction processes in oceanic-oceanic plate convergence also result in the formation of volcanoes. Over millions of years, the erupted lava and volcanic debris pile up on the ocean floor until a submarine volcano rises above sea level to form a volcanic island. Such volcanoes are typically strung out in chains called island arcs. As the name implies, volcanic island arcs, which closely parallel the trenches, are generally curved.

South Sandwich Trench; the deepest location in the Southern Ocean

Atolls: Due to the extremely cold water there are no atolls in the Southern Ocean

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Highest Point: Sea Level

Lowest Point: Southern end of the South Sandwich Trench -7,434 m unnamed deep

Mean Depth: -3,270 m

Ocean Zones: Composed of water and in a fluid state, the ocean is delimited differently than the solid continents. The ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level. Although some sea creatures depend on light to live, others can do without it. Sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 m.

The upper 200 m (656 ft) of the ocean is called the euphotic, or "sunlight," zone. This zone contains the vast majority of commercial fisheries and is home to many protected marine mammals and sea turtles. Only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth.

The zone between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft) is usually referred to as the "twilight" zone, but is officially the dysphotic zone. In this zone, the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases. Such a minuscule amount of light penetrates beyond a depth of 200 m that photosynthesis is no longer possible.

The aphotic, or "midnight," zone exists in depths below 1,000 m (3,280 ft). Sunlight does not penetrate to these depths and the zone is bathed in darkness.

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Natural Resources: Probable large oil and gas fields on the continental margin; manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fish

Natural Hazards: Huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

Geography - Note: The major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds

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Enviornment

Enviornment - Current Issues: Changes to the ocean's physical, chemical, and biological systems have taken place because of climate change, ocean acidification, and commercial exploitation

Enviornment - International Agreements: The Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: mineral exploitation except for scientific research is banned by the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty; additionally, many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north

Climate: Sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

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Ports and Terminals

Major Seaport(s): McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica

Note: Few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most Antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels

[pleistocene-pride]

Pagetopsis macropterus is a species of crocodile icefish native to the Antarctic continental shelf, typically along the coasts of the southern continent as well as in and around the South Shetland Islands at depths of between 16 and 2,100ft. This demersal species has around 15 narrow dark bars, lighter at the center, on its grayish green body and dark stripes on its cheeks but has a whitish ventricle area. It grows to a maximum length of just over 13 inches. As bottom dwelling ambush predators they often sit and wait for prey such as small fish, echinoderms, and especially crustaceans to swim by before lunging out and snapping them up with there long teeth filled jaws. Macropterus is itself preyed upon by larger fish, sea birds such as penguins, and marine mammals, with the Weddle seal being its primary predator. To deter would be predators the fish enters a defense posture by opening the mouth wide, erecting the dorsal fin, holding the flared pectoral fins at a right angle towards the body, and bending the body into a semicircle in an attempt to make itself as hard to grab as possible. Like all Icefish, it’s blood is colorless because it lacks hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding protein in most vertebrate blood. Crocodile Icefish are the only known vertebrates to lack hemoglobin as adults, and instead of being carried by the cells, oxygen is dissolved in the plasma and transported throughout the body without being bound. Although they do not manufacture hemoglobin, remnants of hemoglobin genes can be found in their genome. These fish can live without hemoglobin due to a combination of the oxygen rich cold water in which they live and several unique adaptations such as larger blood vessels, incredibly efficient hearts, low metabolic demands, and possessing up to 4 times as much blood as a traditional fish of their size. Reproduction involves the male clearing an area of debris to establish a nest in which the female will deposit several thousand eggs, she will then proceed to guard and care for these eggs until hatching. Pagetopsis Macropterus become reproductively mature at 3–4 years old and may live up to 15 years under ideal conditions.

[all-pacas]

HEY HIMYM ANON, i found a draft for you! i actually quite like this, maybe i'll work out an ending. it was mostly written out of spite, iirc - maybe my least favorite part of the finale is the idea that "this whole time you were talking about robin!" because. way to miss the point, ted's kids.

--

It is not a story about Robin.

After Tracy had passed, he’d spent weeks, months, ready to follow. To give up. To surrender to it, the grief and luxury of sleeping for days at a stretch, missing her, the smell of her, the smell of her hospital room, sickly sweet and sharp and deadly. They’d done everything right. Everything they could. Taken the kids traveling, taken Tracy to New Zealand, to Paris, blowing their savings on oncologists and presents.

It had been bad, when the cancer caught up and the money ran out and Tracy talked for her doctors alone for an hour and told him firmly, gently, that she was done with chemo. They had still smiled and laughed and photographed and filmed, filling album after album, their fridge full of second hand casseroles. Smiled until it hurt and dug and tore, ripping through his skin, yanking him apart.

It had been bad.

Others would take the kids for days at a time, Barney blowing in from Manhattan to take them to zoos and museums and Lazer Tag, Lily teaching Penny how to apply mascara, eyeliner, buy her first bra. Marshall cutting Ted checks, depositing them without asking first, each generosity another blow.

It is not a story about Robin.

She moves back to New York in ‘26, he hears, from Marshall, who hears it from Lily; runs into her in person some time later. She is beautiful, pristine, untouched. Smiles and glad-to-see-yous. Polite hugs. Polite, continental kisses. He’s glad to see her, glad to see her well. It’s shocking how much they remember, how easy it is to resume five year old conversations. She doesn’t mention Tracy, and he takes it for politeness and avoidance until one afternoon it hits him: she has no memories of Tracy to share.

--

Barney has joint custody of his daughter, who, at seven, loves animals, outer space, and her older cousins in that order. They go to the Bronx Zoo, the five of them: Ellie following Penny around, Luke on his Switch the whole time, Ted and Barney hanging twenty paces back and keeping an eye on the kids.

Ted’s laughing, actually laughing, at some insane work story of Barney’s when he thinks: I can’t believe we’re still friends, and in the lull he says: “We’ve been friends twenty five years.”

“Of course we have,” Barney says, mouth twisted in incredulity. He’s wearing a suit and his hair is slowly graying and twenty five years ago he started talking to Ted at the urinal, when Ted was twenty five.

Penny is getting a little snappy with Ellie, who wants to follow her into a public bathroom. Penny stomps over to Ted in a huff, and Barney takes the younger kids to get ice creams while Penny complains.

Ted hums. “Did I ever tell you how I met your Uncle Barney?” he asks.

--

They all get together for Lily’s fiftieth. The Eriksens hire caterers, waiters, rent a Long Island event hall. White tie: Barney shows up in Westchester with tuxes for Ted and Luke, claiming he doesn’t trust them to pick out their own. Penny is twelve: Lily helps her curl her hair, buys her low-heeled pumps, and she looks so much like Tracy that Ted has to go into the washroom and sit, lost, for several minutes, until he can emerge smiling and tell her how beautiful and grown-up she is without crying.

He and Marshall split a joint in the parking lot, and it helps. Perfectly legal nowadays, but the furtive feeling brings him back, makes him feel younger and reckless. Lily is fully manic, and Barney sneaks Marvin half a glass of wine.

They take pictures: the four of them, the Eriksens alone, the four of them plus kids.

Robin arrives half an hour late. Polite hugs. Kisses. Lily pleased to see her, everyone else hugging and exchanging small talk. Robin isn’t invited into the first set of pictures, but it might have been an oversight. Ted spots her, lips thin, as he’s smiling huge and fake on Lily’s order.

He and Marshall catch Barney smoking in the parking lot after their joint. “I thought you quit,” Marshall calls, joking, heading back in.

Ted lingers. “Doesn’t count,” Barney says shortly, before he can say anything.

“Robin?” Ted guesses, and Barney shrugs.

“I get it,” Ted says.

Barney stubs out his cigarette butt under his heel.

“We never really talked about any of it,” Ted says, looking off to the banquet hall.

“What’s there to talk about?” Barney asks.

[mariacallous]

This week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro took unprecedented steps to establish control over the contested Esequibo region of neighboring Guyana, violating an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling. Esequibo, a region in western Guyana, accounts for two-thirds of the country’s territory, 16 percent of its population—and, crucially, would give Caracas a claim to offshore oil riches that Guyana recently found and that Venezuela clearly covets.

The fact that international arbiters marked the boundary lines well over a century ago won’t stop Maduro from claiming land that many Venezuelans have long been told is rightfully theirs. On Sunday, Caracas held a referendum to determine sovereignty over Esequibo despite the ICJ warning against threatening the status quo. The results, though heavily criticized, showed that 95 percent of voters were in favor of Venezuela annexing the disputed region.

With Caracas ordering mass arrests on Wednesday of those who allegedly oppose the annexation, regional forces gathering to defend the small nation, and the U.S. military conducting flight exercises in Guyana in a blatant show of support for Georgetown, Latin America is teetering on the edge of a potential major continental war for the first time in more than 75 years.

“Latin Americans love to say, ‘We haven’t had a major border conflict since the 1940s,’” said Christopher Sabatini, a senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House. “This would really sort of challenge their fundamental self-conception of their peaceful nature and the historical absence of interstate conflict.”

Well, who has the legal right to Esequibo?

Both nations lay claim to the land, which is a little larger than the U.S. state of Alabama, though much better endowed. Venezuela once had possession of it in the nine-tenths-of-the-law sense, but it was never a legal part of what became modern Venezuela, either before or after its independence. A Paris-based arbitration panel ruled in 1899 that the territory belonged to Guyana (well—at the time, to the British colony of British Guiana.) However, Venezuela long argued that the decision should be nullified, as the country’s government was not present during the talks but rather represented by the United States.

Last Friday, the ICJ ordered Maduro not to attempt to change the region’s status—just days before Caracas was set to hold its sovereignty referendum. The court did not, however, ban the vote from occurring despite Guyana pressuring the body to do so.

Venezuela’s government appears to be “taking steps with a view toward acquiring control over and administering the territory in dispute,” ICJ President Joan Donoghue warned following Venezuela’s blatant disregard of the court ruling.

“The ICJ has credibility, but it can’t enforce its ruling,” Sabatini said. However, that’s not to say it isn’t a big deal. If Venezuela were to use military force to take control of Esequibo, then it would likely damage the possibility of the ICJ ever ruling in its favor in the future. It would also slice Guyana by more than half and open a whole new can of ugly worms.

What makes the Esequibo region so worth coveting?

Home to significant swaths of the Amazon rainforest, Esequibo is a mineral-rich territory, containing vast gold and copper deposits. In 2015, the region’s worth skyrocketed after ExxonMobil discovered large quantities of oil off its coast, setting Guyana up to become the richest nation in Latin America on a per capita basis. Just offshore and almost, but not quite entirely, in Guyana’s exclusive economic zone, is an oil gusher with at least 11 billion barrels of crude.

If Venezuela were to grab Esequibo, then it could lay claim to basically all of that offshore wealth.

Now, billions of dollars and thousands of beefsteaks pour into Georgetown, the capital of a once-backwater, now-developing nation. Guyana has used the funds to launch major infrastructure developments, its first deep-water port, and a gas-to-energy project that would double the nation’s energy output while cutting power bills in half. And in September, it announced its intention to sell oil to big players, including China’s, Qatar’s, and Malaysia’s state oil companies—further triggering Venezuela’s economic jealousy.

Venezuela, which was once a major oil producer, now pumps half as much as the U.S. state of New Mexico. It has long struggled with debilitating hyperinflation and low public approval. According to the International Monetary Fund, Caracas suffered the world’s highest consumer price increase this year, with inflation reaching 360 percent. Corruption continues to roil Maduro’s autocratic regime, and efforts to crack down on the country’s opposition, including barring favored presidential candidate María Corina Machado from holding office, have done little to elevate his chances of winning reelection next year.

Maduro hopes that establishing control over Esequibo would give him a claim to big oil, bolster support for his United Socialist Party, and pigeonhole the opposition into appearing anti-patriotic at a time when his regime is looking more and more like a “tin-pot dictatorship,” Sabatini said.

So, what happened with this referendum?

Depends on whom you ask. According to Maduro, millions of Venezuelans took to the polls in the nation’s highest election turnout in history. But without evidence to back his claim, rights groups estimate that only around 2 million people went to the ballot boxes.

According to the government, more than 95 percent of voters approved all five questions on the referendum, which called for the creation of a new so-called Guayana Esequiba state as well as granting its residents Venezuelan citizenship, providing the population with identity cards, incorporating Esequibo onto Venezuela’s map, and rejecting the 1899 ruling.

“A new era in the fight for our Guayana Esequiba has begun,” Maduro said in celebration of the results. “Now we will recover Venezuela’s historical rights.”

In an aggressive speech on Tuesday, Maduro proposed a new law that bans all Venezuelan companies from collaborating with Guyana, and on Wednesday, he appointed Maj. Gen. Alexis Rodríguez Cabello to oversee the newly established state. Military intelligence suggests that Caracas is also building an airstrip at La Camorra, near its border with Guyana, to support logistical operations for annexing Esequibo. And Maduro has threatened foreign firms, including ExxonMobil, from working with the Guyanese government.

One thing: Venezuela has more oil reserves than any country on Earth. What’s it need more for?

That’s a good question, especially since Venezuela has enough trouble getting its own oil out of the ground as is—let alone wading into tricky offshore drilling that requires technological expertise, good management, and plentiful capital, none of which has been on display in Caracas for years.

If anything, Maduro hopes that redressing a century-old wrong, with oil to boot, will boost public confidence in his increasingly unpopular administration. But the probability of that making a large dent in polling for next year’s election is unlikely.

How is the rest of the region responding?

Guyana immediately placed its own defense forces on high alert and called on the U.N. Security Council and ICJ to take immediate action to bar Venezuela from further encroaching on its soil. Brazil’s defense ministry “intensified its defense actions” and boosted its military presence near the disputed border. And the U.S. Southern Command conducted military exercises with Guyana on Thursday to demonstrate its strong bilateral commitments to Georgetown.

Interstate war would be “suicidal” for Maduro’s political ambitions, a Venezuelan energy expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of government retaliation. “Maduro might be emboldened by the fact that the conflict in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East makes it harder for the U.S. to have another front or potential conflict in this region,” the expert added. “And so, people read this as a dangerous situation because it opens up Maduro’s perception that he might get away with doing something.”

Maduro initially promised not to invade Venezuela’s eastern neighbor. But escalating tensions, including Caracas accusing ExxonMobil on Wednesday of working in tandem with Guyana and Venezuelan dissidents to undermine the government, are worrying regional leaders that annexation may be in the cards after all. If that’s the case, then Latin America may impose a multilateral peacemaking force to diffuse the situation—which would likely hurt Venezuela in the long run.

Caracas looks weak, Sabatini said. “As it sort of hurtles toward an uncertain outcome on this, it also puts its own survival at risk. I would say in some ways, quite frankly, what it’s doing to Guyana is probably far more dangerous to its survival, its instability, than the prospect of an election in 2024.”