The Great Cataclysm

The Great Cataclysm (TGC), also referred to as "The Great Disaster", was a climatic and geophysical disaster that resulted from World War IV, with its effects spanning large swathes of the globe. It involved the rapid, catastrophic diastrophism of many tectonic boundaries and fault lines, occurring as a result of SMW usage, as well as the onset of many powerful volcanic eruptions, each with their own regional and global effects. In addition, the major ground subsidence of SMW-affected coastal regions caused sea levels to rise dramatically and inundate these places completely, to the extent of changing the world map. In terms of biological consequences, the cataclysm involved a mass die-off of many marine and land species, in what are termed "mass mortality events", putting many on the verge of extinction.
WWIV began in mid 2039 and ended in early 2040, as the cataclysm effectively ended the war, and caused the collapse of many nations around the world.
==Background==
Following the Third World War, the post-war period of the early 2030s became a golden age for geology, after breakthrough studies into earthquake hazard mitigation technologies emerged. However, a new arms race was initiated when certain nations sought to covertly exploit these advancements in the creation of a next generation strategic weapon. The discovery of these tectonic weapons, called Super Magnetic Weapons (SMWs), disturbed the geopolitical stage to the extent that other nuclear-armed nations began rapidly expanding their stockpiles to counter the emergent threat. Tensions would soon culminate into the Kuril Islands Crisis, which subsequently escalated into WWIV. During the war, both SMWs and conventional nuclear weaponry were used, targeting a combination of tectonic/volcanic zones and civilian/military infrastructure. The combined use of these weapons contributed to the catastrophic global consequences that followed, and forced the end of the war effort.
== Impact ==
=== Overview ===
The impacts of WWIV were vast, wherein both hemispheres of the world were affected, though the northern hemisphere, where majority of the fighting took place, fared worse. The combined use of nuclear and tectonic weapons resulted in widespread devastation; the detonation of thousands of warheads caused a nuclear holocaust, while the tectonic weapons triggered a combination of tectonic boundary instability, and, indirectly, an intense volcanic winter not seen since the year 1816. Additionally, the oceans were contaminated with a mixture of nuclear fallout and volcanic ash, further exacerbating the environmental catastrophe. Only a few nations managed to narrowly avoid complete collapse, yet still suffered significantly due to the disintegration of global supply chains, forcing them to become self-sufficient in only a matter of days.
==== Geophysical ====
The geophysical impact caused by WWIV, through the usage of SMWs, surpassed anything produced by nature since the beginning of the Holocene epoch, with the disturbance of countless fault lines, both active and dormant, that would've otherwise maintained their typical level of activity if not for the conflict. The famed Ring of Fire was by far the most affected feature, with seismic activity along the majority of the belt surpassing its average annual rate by, at least, 150 times. Numerous devastating megathrust earthquakes occurred as a result of SMWs usage during the war, but even after the war, they continued to occur at consistent intervals, inundating numerous nations across the Pacific with relentless tsunamis that were many tens of metres in height. The massive movements of the Earth's crust caused irrecoverable damage to many major cities, including San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo, Osaka, Manila, and more, while also causing the significant subsidence of various segments of crust, resulting in the complete inundation of various coastal regions.
===== Volcanic =====
The volcanic impact was equally significant. The Ring of Fire witnessed numerous sub-Plinian and Plinian-level eruptions that spewed massive amounts of ash and aerosols into the atmosphere. This led to a large, global reduction in sunlight, causing a global reduction of temperatures, dubbed a "Volcanic Winter", lasting for several years, amplifying the ongoing global cooling caused by prior worldwide nuclear warfare in WWIV. These volcanic eruptions were set off mainly through the massive tectonic earthquakes that struck their respective regions as a result of SMW usage, causing great disturbances to their magmatic systems. Direct SMW detonations on volcanic edifices had similar results, though these instances were less successful in terms of immediate effect. Notably, SMWs were mainly targeted at volcanic regions believed to be primed for explosive eruptions, so the targeting of dormant volcanoes was largely avoided.
==== Climatic ====
== Timeline ==
=== 2039 ===
The initial occurrence of SMW utilization took place with the bombing of the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench in mid-2039 during the Kuril Islands Crisis, employing three specialized torpedoes that detonated near-simultaneously several thousand metres below sea-level, at the point where the tectonic plates were subducting. Approximately 25 seconds post-detonations, a powerful Mw (Moment magnitude) 8.6 earthquake struck at relatively shallow depths, before being followed by two more massive quakes, an Mw 7.9 and Mw 8.3 that struck to the north and south of the original epicenter respectively, within the next 3 minutes after the first earthquake.
Category:Scenario
Category:The Great Cataclysm