Zyxl is the Jurassic island of Java
by Travis HenryHi, there's a convo on another thread about the Indonesian aspect of AC3 (Princess Arelina). And possible placements.
So I'm trying to pinpoint where Indonesia (and its cultural centerpoint, the island of Java) is located is on the Late Jurassic map.
So I wrote to Dr. Christopher Scotese and asked:
June 8, 2021
Hi Mr. Scotese: I have a couple of (hopefully simple) questions:
When your old Time-Life map of the Late Jurassic was adapted for Dungeons & Dragons, there appeared an island to the eastern tip of "Asia."
See the island labeled "31" on this D&D world map.
Was that island in your original map, or was it an innovation in the D&D map?
If that island is in your original, is it the island of Java?
For (D&D) research purposes, I'm trying to find out where Java and the other main Indonesian islands would've been in the Late Jurassic, as conceived in the Time-Life map (not necessarily in later revisions of your paleomap).
-Travis
June 13, 2021
Travis,
I've attached a map that should answer your questions.
The map plots the modern coastlines as black lines. The islands of Java and Sumatra are clearly visible.
Regards,
Chris Scotese
Prof. Christopher R. Scotese, Director, PALEOMAP Project
***
I replied:
Thanks for responding! From also looking at your Early Jurassic and Cretaceous maps on your Paleomap site, I can more clearly see that Java is that easternmost (rectangular-oblong) island.
In gratitude,
-Travis
I've gathered relevant maps by Scotese here, including the one he just sent me. Also including the two paleomaps which chronologically bracket the Late Jurassic map, because the Late Jurassic maps (of 1997 and 2000) appear to be missing the outline for Java. But if you look at the preceding Early Jurassic and following Cretaceous map, Java is clearly the easternmost chunk. And its shape is like Xyzl - rectangular and long.
And its presence is most clearly seen in the map Scotese just sent me, depicted on the far right. Though Scotese's renderings have been refined through the years, we see Java situated relatively where Xyzl is:
