I was #worldbuilding then came up with a #geology question - is it possible to get a good source of clay (useful for making ancient pottery) on a small island without rivers?
Like if the island was small enough that the only reliable source of water for the residents was trapping rain.
@floatybirb Hello fellow conworlder! So without rivers, you would be looking at clays that weathered in place. For weathering to happen, you need time and moisture.
I'm not sure what climate you envision for the island. Tropical climates tend to strip out all the silica through heavy rainfall, leaving kaolinite (perfect for pottery!).
If you are imagining something more arid or with seasonal summer dryness, then you might be out of luck.
@adam I am imagining a mediterranean climate, so dry summers are a thing. Although some mediterranean places made lots of pottery in the past, so maybe dry summers isn't a complete deal breaker.
I'm not sure if those pottery making places were usually small islands. Athens made lots of pottery but the islands in the Cyclades supposedly didn't have very good clay so they were more minimal about their pottery-ing.
@floatybirb In such situations, there seems to be extensive trading networks in place with areas with the right types of clay.
One interesting angle is the type of clay matters too for the pottery you can make. Kaolinite forms in warm, wet conditions and needs to be fired to high temps in a kiln. Illite, which would forms under a less warmer climate doesn't need to be fired as hot, but has a narrow temperature range it has to be fired at; it takes more skill to make pottery with it.
(2/2)
Floaty Birb
Adam