• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Surviving in a volcanic wasteland

Thoras

Minstrel
So I'm working on a land which just has had an extremely large volcano eruption (think Pompeii but larger), destroying most living things, tearing down buildings, with ground cracking open on various locations around the land. The story is about a few survivors within this land, and their struggle to stay alive both from external dangers as well as from starvation.

The thing I'm questioning is what their sources of food would be. They are far from any big seas and the land is scorched, as most animals and plants died along with everything else, there isn't much to eat.

Does anyone have a good idea of what there would be to live of, if you picture the world as we know it today (imagine Germany or similar lands)? Or any idea of a fictional source of food that would make sense to belong in this environment?
 

Queshire

Auror
Speakign realistically.... I have no clue.

Speaking fantastically though, imagine needing to dig through ash and dust for the corpses of those animals, or even people, who did not survive the initial eruption? Perhaps they're preserved inside a shell of hardened ash? Imagine a statue locked in a horrified pose as doom approached... but, well, it's still the only food there is. Time to take a sledge hammer to it and not think about just what those juicy centers once were.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
A couple of questions...
How long before the story was the event?
What is the level of technology available to them before the event?
But I do love the idea of "unidentified baked goods...
 

Thoras

Minstrel
Speakign realistically.... I have no clue.

Speaking fantastically though, imagine needing to dig through ash and dust for the corpses of those animals, or even people, who did not survive the initial eruption? Perhaps they're preserved inside a shell of hardened ash? Imagine a statue locked in a horrified pose as doom approached... but, well, it's still the only food there is. Time to take a sledge hammer to it and not think about just what those juicy centers once were.

Haha, yeah that's a neat thought - I was thinking in those lines but I'm not sure if there would be much to feed off :eek: But yeah, thats a possibility, thanks !


A couple of questions...
How long before the story was the event?
What is the level of technology available to them before the event?
But I do love the idea of "unidentified baked goods...

The story starts with this event and the technology is medieval. Haha that is one thing to call them..! :LOL:
 

Heliotrope

Staff
Article Team
Oh, this is fun!

Yeah, so realistically nothing would really survive. You have heat as a factor, but actually cold could be a reality as well. When the volcano erupts it would send thousands of tons of ash and other debris into the air, which would block sunlight. The lava would heat things up for a time, but eventually cool off. It would take longer for all the debris in the air to settle, which means that it would be dark and cold for some time.

A volcano of that size would cause some awesome earth quakes, so that is something to consider. Also all that gas and stuff in the air could be mighty toxic.

The thing about food is that volcanic soil is actually super rich in nutrients, so once everything cools off plants make a comeback in a massive way. It could take less than a year before the people started to see new growth.

At Mount St. Helens the animals started to return to the land within a year. Insects come back within days to weeks, so that could be a viable source of food for your people.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Probably not what you are after, but usually when those eruptions occur, it tends to ruin everything in one direction of the explosion (the path of least resistance), so the destroyed areas could be skirted and the areas around other sides of the mountain would not have suffered the same devastation.

I would think a few things could be used:

One, if the land has changed, perhaps an area has become flooded that was not before, bringing in sea life from the sea or ocean.

Two, Birds, maybe carrion eaters, might become more present and could be hunted. (Along with this, if this is a fantasy realm, perhaps there are birds that are adapted to life in and around the volcano. They are not as affected by the heat or gasses and can break open stone to get at things buried inside of them).

Three, perhaps some kind of Fungi that begins to sprout up around the many dead things. Might need to be a fantasy type fungi as well.

Four, some villages may have its inhabitants killed by poisonous gas, but not by ash and lava, thus their supplies and structures could still be intact. If they were a place used to cold climes, they might have a good amount of food stored away from winter months that could be scavenged.

and Five, perhaps the misfortune of these has attracted those who would seek to take advantage of their weakened condition. Other predators or group of people may appear in the lands, which can become sources of some resources.
 

Thoras

Minstrel
Oh, this is fun!

Yeah, so realistically nothing would really survive. You have heat as a factor, but actually cold could be a reality as well. When the volcano erupts it would send thousands of tons of ash and other debris into the air, which would block sunlight. The lava would heat things up for a time, but eventually cool off. It would take longer for all the debris in the air to settle, which means that it would be dark and cold for some time.

A volcano of that size would cause some awesome earth quakes, so that is something to consider. Also all that gas and stuff in the air could be mighty toxic.

The thing about food is that volcanic soil is actually super rich in nutrients, so once everything cools off plants make a comeback in a massive way. It could take less than a year before the people started to see new growth.

At Mount St. Helens the animals started to return to the land within a year. Insects come back within days to weeks, so that could be a viable source of food for your people.

Didn't even consider it might actually get cold under the cloud of ash, but that probably makes sense!

Earthquakes are included, both before and after :sneaky:

That was actually something I was wondering - for how long it would actually take to flourish again! But of course, these survivors don't have that long... :cautious:

Great info though, definitely learned some things from this! (y)



Probably not what you are after, but usually when those eruptions occur, it tends to ruin everything in one direction of the explosion (the path of least resistance), so the destroyed areas could be skirted and the areas around other sides of the mountain would not have suffered the same devastation.

I would think a few things could be used:

One, if the land has changed, perhaps an area has become flooded that was not before, bringing in sea life from the sea or ocean.

Two, Birds, maybe carrion eaters, might become more present and could be hunted. (Along with this, if this is a fantasy realm, perhaps there are birds that are adapted to life in and around the volcano. They are not as affected by the heat or gasses and can break open stone to get at things buried inside of them).

Three, perhaps some kind of Fungi that begins to sprout up around the many dead things. Might need to be a fantasy type fungi as well.

Four, some villages may have its inhabitants killed by poisonous gas, but not by ash and lava, thus their supplies and structures could still be intact. If they were a place used to cold climes, they might have a good amount of food stored away from winter months that could be scavenged.

and Five, perhaps the misfortune of these has attracted those who would seek to take advantage of their weakened condition. Other predators or group of people may appear in the lands, which can become sources of some resources.



Birds are a great idea, they could probably appear rather quickly - especially vultures (?). Fungi is something I considered too, I just question wether it would be healthy or at least something many would have a difficulty eating if they grew off of corpses? :eek: (Of course if you're starving you're also desperate).

It's also true that perhaps not all villages are completely destroyed, leaving both survivors and supplies, however it would probably wouldn't be enough - but yes they used to have winters. (y)

For number five, I may reveal that, that is exactly what I've outlined for, didn't consider them a source of food though as the protagonists would want to avoid them.


Great tips and ideas though both of you, thanks a lot! Really appreciate it :)


I could add that I'm actually imagining the surroundings of the volcano to be pretty dramatic for a while, I know it doesn't take to long for the lava to set - but I'm thinking I'd see some lava-rivers flowing on some locations for a while like these pictures;
Ashlands3.jpg Ashlands2.jpg Ashlands1.jpg


I'm not sure how realistic it would be however - so I'm considering if there were continuously smaller eruptions and earthquakes around the land for a while after as well? The thing is, the land is surrounded by mountains and smaller volcanos, the land is used to many earthquakes as there is a lot of movement beneath the surface and this super eruption has happened once before.
 
I have to post my response in 2 parts because of character limits...

Thoras Everything directly in the path of the lava flow, in the immediate blast of heat (and noxious fumes) or in the concussive shock wave would be destroyed. I imagine there would be aftershocks to contend with, too. However, volcanoes are not 'bombs' in the sense that they do not radiate their blast forces spherically or symmetrically. Tremendous forces, yes. But not a perfect radiating 360* circle of destruction like say, an atomic bomb.

Everything people posted here was pretty much what I'd have to say... but when it comes to finding natural resources to survive, well, that I can help with Thoras.

From the event being described (Pompeii, but a lot worse. Like a Pompeii-Krakatoa-Mordor mash-up) you would likely need to travel far from the volcano to find the first initial pockets of surviving flora and fauna, which would be heavily dependent on prevailing winds and weather patterns. However, sea and coastal life, (or inland aquatic i.e. freshwater great lake/River Danube flowing to the ocean, etc) would probably recover the fastest. Closed-off bodies of water and smaller lake systems might not fare as well.

Depending on geography and terrain, the lava may flow directly to a body of water or ocean. While the water boils around the initial contact point and some toxic substances dissolve in water, the thermal shock is more or less localized. ( I remember as a kid watching lava flowing into the ocean in a documentary film about Hawaii... and the sea life were more or less indifferent to the whole ordeal. They swam like, 30 foot away from the lava mass and went back to what they were doing. That image always stuck in my head lol). The water turns to steam, and it takes the thermal energetic consequences with it. The difference between air and water, and temperatures and pressures, causes the lava to solidify from the outside-in almost instantly under water. It might raise the water temperature a bit locally, but again thermal mass of water can hold a lot of heat energy before boiling.

A tiny pond, lake or creek would likely be destroyed. If not from the initial round of lava, then from the ensuing rounds of acidified rains accumulating to toxic, fish-kill conditions. The process is complicated, but basically high pH doesn't allow oxygen to be freely exchanged from the water column in the fish's gills and they suffocate long before they die from accumulated toxins. pH balance also interferes with gas exchanges at the surface... so not only is oxygen not freely available, the by-products of respiration and biowaste are being concentrated. Then, other micro-organisms that like anareobic conditions (like red-tide algae) explode in population, which further toxifies the water and suffocate/toxify fish. While this is all terrible for gill-breathing fish, this process doesn't seem to signifigantly affect aquatic plants, at least to the levels required to kill them in the short term. Basically, the fish die, nitrites/nitrates spike, then their nutrients are slowly made available to aquatic plants. It'd be like over-fertilizing. What kills plants in the short-term is the accumulation of bad algae blocking photosynthesis. And, yet... yucky stagnant fish-kill water can actually be used to fertilize terrestrial crops. Go figure. In tiny bodies of water, lava flow might cause signifigant evaporation.

That's why it would also be a good strategy to go upstream from the lava flow, and not downstream. Bad conditions amplify and 'snowball' downstream... go towards the least contaminated water. Toxins in snow melt and head-waters might be inevitable and of concern, but unless your story is set in the spring thaw, your characters have time to deal with those realities.
 
...Part Two
Acid/toxin laden rain might be a persistant problem for weeks or months... so getting the ash off the plants and then sheltering healthy vegetation from downpours ( contacting the leaves especially ) might be a priority. Acidyfying soils usually doesn't immediately kill plants... unless you're pouring straight vinegar directly on them. If your fall-out conditions in your WIP are that extreme Thoras I don't think conditions are survivable for your characters.

High-light plants that want hours of full-sun would likely perish in cloudy, ash-out conditions if the sunlight is blocked for weeks/months. So, fruiting-body garden produce and all agrimony is basically screwed. However, low light/shade plants might go dormant and still be viable. Again, getting ash off the leaves/foliage would be a top priority.

It would also be wise to make 'soil reserves' a big priority. Tarp/ cover open ground after sweeping away ash to keep areas of earth dry /less effected by pH imbalances from acid rain. Uncontaminated soil would mean you could transplant food crops into protected conditions in better or pre-volcanic growing conditions.

The FIRST TASK of survival is securing drinking water sources, then shelter, etc. There are a few happy coincidences here. In a smoldering landscape, there's likely abundant charcoal lying around to help purify water sources. The ideal source might be a spring vs. surface sources, unless it's been contaminated by the volcanic activity.

As another happy coincidence, not only would you want to find water for drinking, water might be the best source for food. Lots of lake and seaweed is not only edible, it is super-nutritious. In addition to fish, think clams or mussels buried deep down in protective mud. Crabs, turtles, amphibians (although amphibians might be the first to succumb to dissolved toxins and pH problems) crayfish, snakes, basically the whole water/marsh eco system would theoretically be available. Further up the food chain, predatory water fowl and other mammals, etc.

The other primary threat of volcanic activity outside the initial explosion/lava flows is roving wildfires. While dangerous, most landscapes can recover surprisingly fast from sweeping fires.

Vegetation, even if completely burned to the ground, might still be alive underground. Roots, rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, etc are resilient and protected, and could potentially be worthwhile food sources. (Wildflowers and grasses are routinely burned to the ground to encourage vigorous growth in conservation areas to replicate this process.) Others have already mentioned that volcanic-ammended soils are highly fertile, so vegetation should recover quickly.

However, cleared fire-razed areas can also be overtaken by noxious or invasive weeds, so your characters might make a point of eradicating pest plants so they don't overwhelm and destroy the recovering ecosystem.

Trees may still have hard-shelled nuts, seed pods or cones (that might be perishable after being 'roasted' in volcanic aftermaths) either intact on the tree or on the ground, but those would still be edible for immediate consumption. Evergreen needles can be steeped for teas and broths. Soft-bodied berries and other soft fruits would likely be destroyed as edibles, but their internal seeds may be viable. Deciduous leaves would be burned and destroyed. However, if the tree survives it can usually send out its 'back-up buds' to re-leaf within a few months depending on the time of year.

As far as mushrooms and other edible fungi, some species are triggered to bloom by scorched earth and come up through ash, no problem. Some are even triggered by lightning-strikes.

The corpses of animals, charred or cremated by fire, might not have the adequate moisture content to be ideal or immediate colonizing points for fungal mycelium or spores. Likely, after a few heavy rains, they would become active. Mold and other bacterium would likely colonize first. Some mushrooms literally take years to fruit from spores, so in all likeliness anything that starts to fruit quickly after disaster was already present and waiting for the favorable conditions to emerge as fruiting bodies.

Lichen and mosses are sometimes edible, sometimes toxic and some are medicinal. However, I don't see those surviving sprawling wildfires often.

Not to be discounted are native edibles, aka weeds. Those plants that just won't die in your lawn or garden basically have super-powers. Dandelions, purslane and plantain could basically keep you alive for weeks. Many have important, vital medicinal applications as well.

Basically, you'd spend an enormous amount of time locating and digging up food sources. But if you could survive the initial eruption and navigate through burning swaths of land to safer areas, there should be food. I myself would start transplanting live roots, etc and edible plants for farming food stuffs asap. Or at least, map their location and manage or propagate the site to optimize wild harvests.

Should you find animals to eat, you'd be wise to not eat them for as long as possible, and then as few as possible. You would not want to wipe-out the surviving breeding populations and leave the area you're trying to survive in devoid of future food stock populations. Mid and low-level animals that are usually plentiful would be the preferred food stock... think small borrowing rodents that breed quickly/prolifically, small bait fish and other heavy spawning fish, etc. Even insects, grubs, bees/wasps/ants and worms. If they're in the soils or in deep tree cavities, they'll probably survive wildfires. For example.. Carrion flies are huge and would be attracted to the smells of body decomposition and other natural gasses. Make a net, capture them after they lay eggs on the corpse and turn them into soup or something. Then eat half the fly-grubs and let the cycle repeat itself. Think base of the food-chain, abundant procreation rates, and fast-breeding: That's where you should harvest from on the food chain, after their breeding season if at all possible.

You might be in fierce competition with alpha-predators turned scavengers. You might be hunted by said surviving animals. Everything resource-wise that your survivor-characters need to survive, other animals need too. Usually, larger animals just leave the area outright. The little prey animals move back in when the vegetation grows back, then the rest of the ecosystem recovers.

Nothing at all about the scenario you're describing sounds impossible to survive, if you're on the peripherals of the direct path of destruction... but it would be extremely challenging. And unpleasant. But not infeasible.
 
And, a side note: I left cannibalism and eating-your-own dead off my list of food sources because it sounds like you want a group of 'functional' survivors, and not 'malfunctional' survivors. Nothing says malfunction quite like the worry of being killed and eaten by your peers. (Being murdered for your food stash or supplies is a different type of 'dysfunction'.)

Besides, prion diseases are no joke to an already strained group of people, and you can't rebuild society if you're literally losing your mind to cannibal-related afflictions and delirium.
 

Thoras

Minstrel
Wow, thank you Night Gardener , this was a really educating piece of text you shot at me haha. This is great! You really capture a lot which I hadn't even considered and you made me have to discard a few things, but also gave me a ton of new ideas! :love:

I'll have to process this all for a while though before I'm sure what to make out of it, but this has really been helpful. Thanks a lot!

Cannibalism might still be a viable options for some survivors in a post-apocalyptic world which falls into anarchy, so even though it might not be for the protagonists, there might be a few of them as a "bump in the road" :sneaky:
 
Wow, thank you Night Gardener , this was a really educating piece of text you shot at me haha. This is great! You really capture a lot which I hadn't even considered and you made me have to discard a few things, but also gave me a ton of new ideas! :love:

I'll have to process this all for a while though before I'm sure what to make out of it, but this has really been helpful. Thanks a lot!

Cannibalism might still be a viable options for some survivors in a post-apocalyptic world which falls into anarchy, so even though it might not be for the protagonists, there might be a few of them as a "bump in the road" :sneaky:

You're welcome! Glad I was able to give you some information/inspiration. . . Happy Writing!
 
Top