To make the long story short, I'll be needing a plausible location to build an underground city, preferably one that's beneath a mountain/mountain range or plateau, and near a body of water(either by the ocean itself or a nearby river that leads to the ocean which will be able to provide a route for ships). So far I'm considering on using Iceland as the setting. An area around Skogafoss. Is there a better location?
Impressive.. But I planned on hollowing out a cavern/ravine, rather than produce tunnels with rooms. With dilemmas aside(i.e. How are you going to support the roof of the cavern? It's cave in on your city), I need a location for now.
Here are some of my favorites. You can Google them to get more info. 1. Noosh Abad, Iran 2.Judean Cave, Isreal 3.Outlaws of Surtshellir cave, Iceland 4.Fabled city of Yupaha, Georgia 5.Limestone Cliff Dwellings, Vietnam 6.Bandhavgarh caves, India 7.Víðgelmir Cave, Iceland Just realized you said around Iceland so I added one more.. Hopes this helps a little….
Have you considered Colorado? It has several rivers and mountains. Perhaps somewhere connected to the Rio Grande river (which feeds into the Gulf of Mexico), and is under the Rocky Mountains? ((Try areas in the San Luis Valley or near Mesa Verde.)) Colorado, in my experience, is sparsely populated, marginally developed, and has a lot of empty space. Additionally, it doesn't have quite the same history as places in Asia or Europe, which might have cities hidden below the surface already, from lost civilizations. And its in a temperate region of the world, so caves below the surface might have more moss, fungi, rather than just ice and rock.
I'm sure Iceland would be fine - and if it's not, only a handful of specialist geologists would know. For comparison - consider the Ben Cruachan hydroelectric station in Scotland: http://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/ - very much by a body of water!
I once had a driving instructor tell me that the US government started building an underground city beneath Denver when they saw Nostradamus' water paintings... But to answer your question, perhaps in the Rockies in British Columbia? Near one of the provincial parks maybe.
Iceland? Hmmmm. I've been to Iceland. You can stand in between the edges of two continental plates pulling apart. I visited the buried section of Heimaey where lava poured out of the ground not all that long ago. And I've walked over a lava flow that had steam rushing out still hot enough to burn your skin. I've been to Skogafoss. The river between the falls and the sea is short, but it is also rather flat and shallow despite how much water is flowing over the falls. Technically, it's not navigable. Dettifoss is a more interesting waterfall to hide something behind. It's a tad further from the coast, but not by much. However, its very odd geology may not suit your story. The water pours into a narrow canyon sideways before flowing out. Iceland rivers The entire island is 90+% hard lava rock. How could you surreptitiously excavate a city? Or is 'hidden' not part of the story? It's plausible to say lava drained out of some ancient volcano throat leaving a huge void. I've never heard of any such voids in Iceland, but it's plausible for fiction. There could still be a hardened lava cap over such a void. Not sure if this matters but there's another thing about the lava flows in Iceland, the lava is more ʻAʻā than Pāhoehoe. ʻAʻā flows more slowly leaving chunky uneven lava with a lot of holes throughout. There are videos of the lava covering the town of Heimaey that give you a good idea. Compare that to the typical rivers of liquid lava you see from Hawaii. Now if this is all fantasy and perfect realism doesn't matter, Iceland has a lot of potential. The island is an absolutely incredible place and chances are good most readers won't know you are taking liberties with geography.
I'm only a curious tourist, I'd know. But there are only a handful of curious tourists exactly like me.
