World building: Underground

Underground environments are both common work places for
some, a place to explore, or a fragile ecosystem that can kill a human. A perfect
place to set a story!

In this category I include mining, natural cave systems and geysers. All are quite unnatural places to live and explore. Yet humans and creatures can often adapt.

Mines

Old mining areas can be a maze of fall areas, open mined out
zones, gas pockets, stale air zones, in terms of structure. After a mine
closes, if the groundwater is not still being pumped out, then the mine may
well slowly fill, or at least develop areas of water, which will be
contaminated with residues of whatever metal was extracted. This will in a
surprisingly short period of time become quite acidic, and a source of
contamination that is almost impossible to manage. An example of mines and the
dangers of collapse and water is in the Poldark series by Winston Graham.

Caves

Natural cave systems can be quite extensive, housing
colonies of all sorts of strange and wonderful creatures. Bats are one such,
but there are entire ecosystems involving insects, snakes and bacteria that
thrive in the ammonia rich atmosphere from the accumulated bat poop. There are
also blind fish that generations ago had eyes, yet without the need for them in
the dark, slowly lost them. What would happen to humans in this situation? One
author (name forgotten alas) speculated two races of people, one with echo
location, the other heat sensing abilities.

Caves have also served us well as shelters, as the prehistoric
cave art testifies. But hiding from people, escaping pursuit, smuggling and
hiding treasure have all been tucked away in caves. Enid Blyton had a
fascination with cave systems, often the Famous Five explored secret tunnels,
hidden passages and the like. Jean Auel’s Neanderthals could not rest until
they had found another cave to call home.

Catacombs

Catacombs are a mix of mining and caves. Often starting out
as a mine for limestone for instance, they were extended and used for storing
the dead. Catacombs exist in many places in the world such as Rome and Paris.
They are even home to some specific phosphorescent bacteria. I had my Roman
soldier Trajan  in Druid’s Portal slightly
claustrophobic as a result of exploring catacombs in Rome as a boy. But as
places for storing the dead, and a haven for rats, poor air, and stagnant
water, they have formed the basis for many movies and books such as Indiana
Jones. A combination of horror and history.

Geysers and hot springs

Geysers are interesting – the chemistry is often highly
alkaline, boiling hot and mineral rich. Despite this, many different bacteria
thrive, some being used now in manufacturing plastics and antibiotics. Hot
springs are a somewhat more gentle version, with hot mineral rich pools being a
welcome feature in cold landscapes. There are also geysers of cold materials on
other planets, and I refer those interested to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geyser
as a starting point.

But how can these be worked into a story?

For historical fiction, it can be a contemporary use – the difference
in working conditions in mines and social structure can be explored. Mark Twain
made excellent use of caves when Tom Sawyer, Becky and Injun Joe were trapped
there. Horror, love, heroism and danger all showed as the characters did what
they could to survive. Or go back into old workings like Indiana Jones or Andy
McDermott’s series of archaeological thrillers. Or take a trip to the Earths
core in Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or Pellucidar by Edgar Rice
Burroughs.

Fantasy can really go to town with underground environments.
Readers are unlikely to forget the foreshadowing horror of the fellowship of
the ring going into the mines of Moria, and the wakening of the creatures from
the innocent dropping of a pebble down an old well. Dwarves are traditional
mining races, but many other also – goblins, dragons and races of debased
humans or troglodytes are common in older action books such as RE Howard.

Science fiction can also explore caverns on ancient planets filled with giant crystals, faceless serpents, frozen lakes of exotic chemicals, mining operations, and ancient civilisations. For instance, Blish in ‘Welcome to Mars’ and Heinlein both had martians as underground dwellers. Jeanette O’Hagan has a YA fantasy series based underground.

So venturing underground can be an exciting – or fatal trip. Full of wonder, danger and the unknown. Isn’t that what every reader wants?

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