Wow, it's been so long since I've posted here. I've almost forgotten about this thread. In any case, the entire purpose of my research was to add realism to my
fanfiction. Now that I've posted my work on fanfiction.net, I can share my research here. There is a large section devoted to this research, but I'll post it here for convience purposes:
Nearly 140 million ears ago, the Earth was a different, yet similar place. Much like today, all kinds of creatures roamed the Earth, and it was rife with life. Some of these creatures found comfort, some found hardship, but most extraordinarily, some found companions.
No where was this more true than an area we now know as Northeastern Utah, in the United States of America. Even over the course of 140 million years, the geography of the region has changed extraordinarily little. The Great Valley, known today as Ashley Valley, is still a cloister of lush trees and green grass. The air is still filled with the laughter of children playing in the grass, and it still resembles a true paradise on Earth. If Littlefoot and his friends can visit the valley today, they would surely be able to recognize it.
The northern parts of the valley have gone through a more drastic change than the other parts. The valley today considerably is smaller than what it was 140 million years ago, with Buckskin Hills now filling up the northern portion of the valley. The most drastic change is probably the water. A long time ago, the lakes we now know as Steinaker Reservoir and Red Fleet Reservoir were connected to each other. At the current location of Red Fleet Dam, Thundering Falls once stood. Water from Thundering Falls flowed eleven miles south to meet up with another river, one we now know as Green River, before flowing further south into the distance. However, the river that flowed from Thundering Falls to Green River, the one that has been delivering water to the valley for hundreds of years, has largely dried up. Only two small creeks named Brush Creek and Ashley Creek remains today, but they’re still worthy memorabilias to the great river that once flowed through the valley.
The valley is still home to many different creatures, and quite a few can trace their lineage to Skip, Milo, Lydia, Plower, and the colony of underground mammals that Spike once fell in. The stories of the dinosaurs will live on in the stories that were passed down from millions of generations earlier. The dinosaurs are as active in their memories just as they were 140 million years ago. For the humans in the valley, they still get to enjoy the tracks and fossils that these mighty creatures made.
The northern parts contained the most of the waterways. This part of the valley, receiving the largest amount of water, was also the lushest and loveliest. It was the location of Littlefoot’s nesting place and the Cave of Many Voices. However, this lovely landscape can not be seen anymore. The relentless movement of Earth’s crust caused an earthquake that pushed this land upwards. The lush vegetation and waterways have disappeared due to these changes, leaving behind only a barren mountain that looks nothing like it did 140 million years ago.
As for the mountains protecting the Great Valley, very little has changed. Even millions of years of corrosion have somehow failed to abate these titanic mountains. Made of solid quartzite, shale, and slate, these magnificent mountains, formed in the Paleozoic Era, still stand tall and defiantly today. And for thousands of years, these mountains, rising 600 feet, have protected the inhabitants of the valley from outside invaders. In fact, Ashley Valley would not be discovered until 1776 and would not be thoroughly explored until the arrival of General W.H. Ashley in the 19th century.
The southern, western, and eastern parts, in comparison, have changed very little. The eastern parts were more fertile and green then they are today, but changes in the southern and western parts are negligible. The place where Littlefoot and his friends first entered the Great Valley can still be visited. Today, this entrance is near Split Mountain, and some lucky hikers today still get the chance to enjoy the same view that Littlefoot and his friends did more than 140 million years ago.
The fossilized remains of the original Sharptooth can still be found in the buried under the waters of the Green River, just waiting to be found by the paleontologists who prowl this region. Hanging Rock, Black Rock, and Ruby’s Thinking Place haveóextraordinaryóremained almost unchanged. The Secret Caverns, known today as the Big Bush Creek Cave, is now the second-largest cave in Utah. Deeper parts of the cave are off-limits due to obstacles like logs and rocks, but deep inside, the Cave of Many Voices still remains. Whereas shouts of joy once echoed through its corridors, now, there’s only a deathly silence.
Littlefoot and his friends lived in the early Cretaceous period. The Big Water, which is now known as Mowry Sea, is no longer existent. However, many legacies live on. Littlefoot’s birthplace, near Dodge City, Kansas, although not marked by any structure, can still be visited. The canyon that separated the families in the Great Earthshake can still be seen in Colorado. After the lava cooled, a river, known today as the Cucharas River, cut its way through that canyon. Some parts of the canyon have withered away, but the half-mile wide and 400 feet deep gap that separated Littlefoot and his friends from their parents can still be seen near a place called Cedarwood, Colorado. Today, Littlefoot’s bold and epic 880 mile journey to the Great Valley has been shortened to just 690 miles. Their epic journey will be covered more in the next chapter.
The “neck” of Saurus Rock collapsed in an earthquake, but the base still stands today. By some almost divine coincidence, this is the current location of the National Dinosaur Monument. Doc would have been proud…
Less than 35 miles north of the Great Valley, across many mountains and forests, was the location of the Land of Mists. Located near a town we now know as Dutch John, the Land of Mists has gone through a more noticeable change. The mists have disappeared, and the Night Flower, along with many of its dangerous residents, are now gone. The Mowry Sea, the predecessor to the Western Interior Seaway, was only a few miles from the Land of Mists, but neither the sea nor the seaway exists today. The swamps and ponds have been replaced by the Flaming Gorge reservoir. The trees once there now are now replaced the Ashley National Forest. The only things that have remained unchanged are the mountains surrounding this land.
In this same location more than 140 million years ago, a hungry ichthyornis (sharpbeak), an early carnivorous bird, prepared for landing. It spread out its wings and landed softly on the back of a deinosuchus (bellydragger), an early crocodile...
Like I promised, I'll go into more of the journey later. But for right now, please comment and read my story. Thanks! (now... I have to go back to cramming for APs and SATs..
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