Editing Terraforming

{{Era|UNSC|HCW|Post}}
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'''Terraforming''' is the process in which the terrain, climate and atmosphere of a planet is altered to suit the needs of those colonizing the planet. It normally involves inserting plants and/or flora, introducing new minerals or substances, or other changes to fulfill the required goals for the planet in question. It can take up to several centuries to fully terraform an [[Earth]]-sized planet, depending on the degree of terraforming that is needed.<ref name="datapad">'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', ''[[Data pads|Data pad 14]]''</ref>

==Background==
===Human===
[[File:HR Screenshot Epilogue-After.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The recovered landscape of [[Reach]] in [[2589]], reterraformed after its [[glassing]] in [[2552]].]]
[[Human]]ity uses terraforming processes to convert potential [[Human colonies|colonies]] into environments suitable for habitation.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'''</ref> Modern humans first began to utilize terraforming technology during the colonization of the [[Sol system]] in the 22nd century, transforming many of the system's formerly inhospitable worlds into environments suited for human life.<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''', ''page 42'' (2011)</ref> The [[colony ship]] ''[[Odyssey]]'' was the first ship to carry terraforming gear out of Sol in [[2362]].<ref>''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref>

The UNSC uses devices known as atmospheric processors to push a planet's atmosphere towards a more tolerable composition, but human terraforming technology has its limits. Many planets are so inhospitable that they cannot be terraformed, which often results in the UNSC seeking already habitable planets. Understandably, these are extremely few and far between, which results in some colonies being extremely remote.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 32''</ref> The UNSC has used several methods to terraform worlds, such as bombarding a planet with [[asteroid]]s to lay a new mantle and crust over the planet's natural one. This process is known to trap [[Helium|helium-3]] into the second, artificial mantle. The colony world [[Verge]] was known to have required this type of terraforming.<ref name="BluntInstruments">'''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''', "[[Blunt Instruments]]", ''page 194''</ref> Similarly, some terraforming involves bombarding the planet with large ice chunks to establish a presence of water on the planetary surface and in the atmosphere. Such a process was used in terraforming the colony of [[Biko]], with a large quarry established on the ice moon of [[Seoba]] to mine the ice needed for the operation, before launching it into Biko's gravity well via the use of a [[mass driver]].<ref name="SilentStormBiko">''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'', Chapter 8</ref>

The UNSC often avoids establishing colonies on volcanically active worlds, as they are considered to be more difficult to terraform.<ref>'''[[Halo: New Blood]]''', ''page 103'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Some species, such as [[Draco III]]'s native [[naeori]], were able to survive the UNSC's terraforming process by hiding deep below the surface of the planet's oceans.<ref name="NBDracoIII">'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 15'' (Google Play edition)</ref> On certain colony worlds, such as [[Eridanus II]], the local climate is artificially controlled to consistently maintain a pleasant weather.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 22'' (2001 edition)</ref>

After the [[Human-Covenant War]], humanity began to re-terraform their colony worlds glassed by the Covenant during the conflict, including [[Reach]]. While initial assessments for re-terraforming made by the [[The Assembly|Assembly]] in [[2530]] indicated that restoring a glassed world would take from 110 to over 300 years,{{Ref/Reuse|datapad}} Reach had been at least partially restored by [[2589]], in only 37 years.<ref name="LoneWolf">'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', campaign level, ''[[Lone Wolf]]''</ref>

===Covenant===
The [[Covenant]] terraformed certain worlds solely to produce [[plasma]] to fuel their large-scale industry, engulfing said planets in perpetual violent thunderstorms; one planet engineered in such manner is [[Ealen IV]].<ref name="EscalationEalen">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''Issues 1-2''</ref>

===The Flood===
The [[Flood]] terraform their habitats through natural processes, converting the atmosphere<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level, ''[[The Library (Level)|The Library]]'' (''343 Guilty Spark: ''"Your environment suit will serve you well when the Flood begin to alter the atmosphere - you are a good planner!"'')</ref> and using local biomass to spread itself until it can form a [[Flood hive]]. Beginning as small [[Flood spores|spores]], these eventually grow into larger clumps of biomass, which convert the areas atmosphere to what is presumably optimal for Flood expansion, and have been known to infect large areas, ranging from areas of [[Installation 05]], to the planetoid ''[[High Charity]]''<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level, ''[[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]]''</ref> and covering entire worlds during the [[Forerunner-Flood war]], generating enormous collectives known as [[Key Mind]]s from the biomass gathered on the planet.<ref>'''Halo: Silentium''', ''pages 186-187''</ref>

==Known terraformed worlds==
{{Expand-section}}
===Human===
*[[Sol system]]
**[[Venus]] - Failed terraforming project{{Ref/Book|Id=Mythos|Mythos|Section=The Interplanetary War}}
**[[Mars]] - Fully terraformed{{Ref/Book|Id=EncSolSystem|HEnc|Section=Locations, The Sol System|Pg=294-295 (2011 edition)}}
**[[Europa]] - Fully terraformed{{Ref/Reuse|EncSolSystem}}
**[[Ganymede]] - Partially terraformed{{Ref/Reuse|EncSolSystem}}
*[[Epsilon Eridani system]]
**[[Reach]] - Reterraformed after [[glassing]] during the [[Fall of Reach]]{{Ref/Reuse|LoneWolf}}
*[[Draco system]]
**[[Draco III]] - Terraformed{{Ref/Reuse|NBDracoIII}}
*[[Kolaqoa system]]
**[[Biko]] - Terraformed{{Ref/Reuse|SilentStormBiko}}
*Unknown systems
**[[Verge]] - Terraformed{{Ref/Reuse|BluntInstruments}}

===Covenant===
*[[Ealen system]]
**[[Ealen IV]] - Harvested for plasma{{Ref/Reuse|EscalationEalen}}
*Unknown systems
**[[Verge]] - Harvested for plasma

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Halo 2]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Blunt Instruments]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
**''[[Data pads]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' {{Im}}
**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]