Geology of Skyrim

Geology class has increased the immersive qualities of my time in Skyrim.  I find myself wondering about the geologic history of this fine province.  It seems at least some thought was put into this subject while the game was being developed.  Skyrim is a chilly place overall due in part to its northern placement on the globe.  Based on the climate of Cyrodill to the south and what I know of the climate of Skyrim I would put it around 45 degrees northern latitude.  On clear nights there is even a chance to see an aurora borealis.  There appears to be areas of permafrost in the far north but some crops can be grown in the southern part of my beloved land.  Skyrim is bordered to the north by the partly frozen Sea of Ghosts which could be part of the reason why it is so mountainous and geologically active.  Cold oceanic crust being subducted under the continent could help explain the many hot springs and rich veins of minerals in Skyrim.  Skyrim is dominated by a huge central mountain called The Throat of the World.  I have observed it from all sides and several hypotheses concerning its origin come to mind.  From some angles it looks like a cinder cone volcano with sides that are a bit steeper than you would find on Earth.  Maybe the gravity is a little weaker in Skyrim, it would help explain how those dragons stay in the air.  If gravity is the same I would guess that the mountain is the leftover lava chamber and/or tube of  a volcano that has been eroded away. It is connected to an east/west mountain range to the south by some mountains which could be made of debris from the former volcano.  Perhaps there was a highly explosive eruption or maybe glacial processes pushed the former volcanoes remains south, leaving the debris in the glacial "shadow" produced by resistant igneous rock in the oversized lava tube.  Skyrim shares many varieties of minerals with Earth including gold, silver, iron, malachite, corundum, moonstone, and quicksilver.  Since the quicksilver of Skyrim can be formed into ingots I suppose it is an alloy or not exactly the same as the mercury of Earth.  Some of these deposits can be found in less travelled areas laying on the ground while others are in fairly shallow mines.  They are probably found at depth as well but Skyrim is not heavily populated and current technology is not up to the task of heavy mining.  Mages in the area do not appear very interested in mine work.  They are not well liked by the Nords who currently dominate the province.  At the edge of the Sea of Ghosts is the mage college of the city of Winterhold.  In the recent past a large chunk of land holding part of the city dropped into the sea.  The locals think it is the mages fault but the college believes it was a naturally occurring geologic event.  It is possible the area was undercut by continuous wave action and although there are no earthquakes in the game  itself this seems to be a prime area for tectonic activity.  Well that is about all the geology I can mine out of Skyrim for now and my old arrow injury is starting to make my knee hurt.  I think I 'll go enjoy a frosty Blackbriar mead.