Northern Mountian Climate / Geology
Setting: What I'm trying to figure out. Earth-ish. Some magic thrown in.
I'm trying to create a far northern mountain geography/climate/culture. Canon has dictated that there's a northern mountain expanse/stretch, complete with snow and blizzards, and I'm placing my story setting north of that.
So I'm trying to figure out what that "even more north" climate is like. Right now I'm saying canon's mountain border is a treacherous mountain barrier with blizzards a majority of the year to separate my story setting from The Rest of The World.
With that barrier, what can the climate be like on the other side? I have it set as a mountainous region (lots of snow), with heavily forested coniferous valleys. Winter sucks a lot but is a bit more bearable in the valleys. Mining is a strong resource; agriculture revolving around barley/winter wheat and other plants that far well at high-altitude. I'm kind of envisioning it to be like the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Things I am not so sure about though:
Research done: Geography of Russia, the geology tag here, high altitude living
Thanks!
I'm trying to create a far northern mountain geography/climate/culture. Canon has dictated that there's a northern mountain expanse/stretch, complete with snow and blizzards, and I'm placing my story setting north of that.
So I'm trying to figure out what that "even more north" climate is like. Right now I'm saying canon's mountain border is a treacherous mountain barrier with blizzards a majority of the year to separate my story setting from The Rest of The World.
With that barrier, what can the climate be like on the other side? I have it set as a mountainous region (lots of snow), with heavily forested coniferous valleys. Winter sucks a lot but is a bit more bearable in the valleys. Mining is a strong resource; agriculture revolving around barley/winter wheat and other plants that far well at high-altitude. I'm kind of envisioning it to be like the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Things I am not so sure about though:
- Can I say it's like the Kamchatka Peninsula? I'm not sure if that sort of climate/geography can exist beyond my blizzardy mountain barrier. At some point it's just too far north to have rain/trees/etc, so I need to know what I can place more north of my canon's mountain barrier.
- Where do steppes and alpine tundra fit into this? Do I have to have mountain barrier, steppes, then my mountainous story setting? Is my mountainous story setting actually just all alpine tundra because it's just that far north/mountainy? I can ditch the forest part, but I really can't ditch the mountain part.
- Reading around, it sounds like it'll rain quite frequently, with a lot of fog. Y/N? If so, winter means massive blizzards, Y/N? (I really want to say winter sucks a lot in my northern climate, but it's livable.)
- Are my characters going to be living exclusively in a valley or on the mountainside? What are the advantages/disadvantages of either, if they exist? I'm thinking the valleys are an easier target for bandits and flying attacks, but the weather in the valleys are more bearable, and agriculture is easier.
Research done: Geography of Russia, the geology tag here, high altitude living
Thanks!