Asherton (planet)

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For current inhabiting nation information, see New Haven.

Overview

Asherton is a moon in the Asherton System, approx. 50 light-years from Sol. It is about the same size as the Earth and has a moon (roughly 3/4ths the size of Earth's Moon) referred to as Thor for the occasional small-scale electrical outbursts and EM interference which eminate from the moon. The planet has a very strong magnetic field (double that of Earth's) with a very thick ozone layer.

Geography and Climate

Surveys of the moon indicate that it is 85% water and 15% land. The land is subdivided into a single continent situated on the equator, with several large islands off its coast. It is currently believed that the main continent will split into two continents in fifty million years, with signs of rifting beginning to occur perpendicular to the equator. Regardless, human habitation is situated far away from the rift zones and will not be disturbed.

"Terra Uncia", or One Land in Latin, is the uncreative name given to the single continent by Asherton's settlers. A popular name for it is "The Island State", harkening back to when New Haven referred to itself as The Island States. Its equatorial region is dotted with long, slow, winding rivers surrounded with thick rainforest. Outside of the rainforests, grasslands cover the rest of the continent. The only place where grasslands do not exist are east of the Turing Mountain Range in the northern hemisphere and across the Great Rift Zone.

East of the Turing Mountain Range, the Jackson Desert stretches from the foot of the mountains to the coastline of the Great Sea. It was named for the Sensor Officer aboard the cruiser Asherton (both the system, moon and cruiser were named for the Asherton region back on Earth). The desert is the driest ever settled by Havenites, experiencing less than one millimeter of rain per thousand years.

In the Great Rift Zone across the continent, the grasslands turn to volcanic wasteland filled with igneous rock and are devoid of life. This area is prized for its geothermal energy potential and relative geological stability compared to other rift zones. Unfortunately, the atmosphere can become toxic quickly around the Rift Zone, making it completely off-limits to habitation.

The large islands off the coast of "Terra Uncia" resemble the mainland's climate zones along their respective latitude relationships and their terrain is generally flat. With plentiful rainfall on all but Jackson Island (naturally, off the coast of the Jackson desert), these islands make great agricultural zones and are home to several counter-ortillery military installations.

Generally, Asherton's climate systems are considered "stable" by New Havenic scientists, due in part due to its circular orbit around the gas giant and lack of a axial tilt. Due to this lack of axial tilt, the moon experiences no seasonal change, no tropical cyclones (due to the severe lack of ITCZ motion) and very few severe storms if at all.

Lifeforms

Like on the planet New Haven, the moon of Asherton has been completely stripped of its original inhabiting ecosystems, being completely replaced by Terran forms of life. This transition was not without its relative difficulties compared to New Haven, such as the Great Rift Situation (where introduced life couldn't pass over the rift zone, causing both ecosystems to co-exist at the same time for fifty years, causing the eco-forming projects to be delayed by seventy-five years), but was still able to reach its natural comclusion.

Habitation

Coming Soon.

Mineral and Agricultural Resources

Asherton, even after hundreds of years of human habitation, is still incredibly rich in agricultural products and mineral wealth. The following lists show the type of resources available from the planet:

Agriculture:

Coming Soon

Minerals (either extracted or manmade in various industrial processes):

Coming Soon