User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Hunter Theory... Blog/@comment-71.203.144.9-20121026025415/@comment-71.203.144.9-20121026025517

The swamps in the freedom series have proven to have an abundance of ores, made apparent by the many types of ores and minerals you can mine in various mining spots and the very large crystal formations found in caves. One ore in particular, found in the swamp happens to be sootstone. Soot is a product of things burning, and the large accumulations of it compacted into rock suggest that there was at one point, a lot of burning going on. For the extremely large crystal formations, a large amount of heat and water is required for their formation.

Such rich veins of ore and large crystal formations suggest that the areas that are now occupied by the two swamps were at one point highly volcanic. They may have even directly connected the two main volcanic regions, as one big tear in the earth such as Iceland. The fact that they’re swamps now also suggests that they lie at a low point, at or around sea level, and somewhat close to the ocean; one of the volcanic regions happens to lie on the coast.

Pyroclastic flows and eruptions could have resulted in the cease of much of the volcanic activity in the area. Large eruptions would release the contents of the volcano and its pressure. As a result the remainder of the volcano could collapse on itself, causing huge pyroclastic flows. Ash would consume the land. Rivers of ash, rock, and debris ran through crevices and ash filled gaps in walls and huge holes, and over time, it settled and solidified. This can explain why there aren’t as many mining spots in the swamps as there are in the volcanos. Other evidence of such eruptions and pyroclastic flows are the large protruding rocks surrounding the old volcano’s rim, which may be the remains of an ancient forest, forced outward and encased in rock and ash; the floors of caves that are soft and of level ground through each room, and smooth on to the outside as if the floor flowed into the caves; the holes in the wall of the cave in area 7 of the swamp, gaping and smooth as if something once flowed through it with great force. The caves of the swamp were most likely carved out by the massive flows of ash, mud, and debris that now provide our hunters with ground to stand on. As time passed, rivers carved their way through the land and the environment became much more humid. The water and humidity made the ground soft and soggy. With the water came an abundance of plant and wildlife, which now cover the land, making the swamps.