Reality Check: Is This Habitable Long Term for Humans

Planet: Xibalba (Mayan Hell)

Tidally locked planet around a red dwarf that is very active with solar flares being a daily danger.

The habitable zone around the planet is made up almost entirely of mountains, as is a large amount of the surface on the day and night side. There is a large ocean that covers much of the day side, and circles around to the dark side in the southern hemisphere.

The planet has a gravity 0.4 times higher than Earths.

The atmosphere is breathable after some adjustment, it is similar to Tibet for air pressure and oxygen content. The water is also drinkable with basic filtration.

Temperatures in the habitable zone at the foot of the mountains range between 4 degrees Celsius close to the dark side, to 25 degrees Celsius near the day side. These are rough averages, a lot depends on wind conditions, shade, etc.

Hurricanes are nearly continuous, causing heavy erosion on the mountains and turning valleys and plains into swamps. Some life is there, but it's mostly coral like and under water to protect itself from the UV flares.

Due to the heavy erosion and tectonic activity the mountains are riddled with caves. These caves have lots of coral and mollusk like plants that can photosynthesize while surviving the worst UV and hurricanes. This provides food for cave dwellers who spend most of their lives inside the extensive cave systems, creating a food chain further into the caves through their feces. Frequent floods also bring food and nutritious muck into the caves for bugs, fungus and bacteria to eat.

Water seeping through cracks form feeding spots for bacteria, mold and slime, which in turn are fed on by bugs, and are eaten by larger animals. Underground lakes and rivers, often fed by water from the surface and magma vents deep underground, provide life for fish, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, bacteria and thermophiles.

No animal is larger than a good size cat, but they often have poison and the predators will work in packs to get a meal.

Most animals rely on echolocation, thermal vision similar to pit vipers, electroreceptors, smell and touch.

The humans numbering two hundred, have some mining equipment, grow lights that with maintenance can last for decades with the ability to make more, and a large amount of survival equipment (clothes, sleeping bags, cots, tools, water purification systems, flashlights medical kits, etc).

For food they have a years supply of rations, several kinds of herbs, cabbage, cress, broccoli, beets, radishes, dandelions, carrots and sweet potatoes, these can grow in shade but take longer to grow and don't produce as much yield. For meat they have several types of edible beetles and chickens.

The humans will be close to the day side.

Is this enough for long term survival or are they doomed after a few years?

posted almost 7 years ago

Dan Clarke‭

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