EM-8ER is a like Io. Frozen world with huge sporadic volcanic activity. Fire and Ice.
Where the pockets form....well that's up the the Terraformers. These are large machines that float in the sky and fist transform the atmosphere, then seed the pocket from its ark, a bank of genomes for flora and fauna that the machine naturally selects to reflect whats best to create an eco-system for that part of the planet, its temperature range, etc.
Note that with 28 star systems colonized, these gene-banks include xeno plants and animals not just those found on Earth.
Where the pockets form....well that's up the the Terraformers. These are large machines that float in the sky and fist transform the atmosphere, then seed the pocket from its ark, a bank of genomes for flora and fauna that the machine naturally selects to reflect whats best to create an eco-system for that part of the planet, its temperature range, etc.
Note that with 28 star systems colonized, these gene-banks include xeno plants and animals not just those found on Earth.