The destruction of Saint Ark by a stray Ulysses fragment dislodged by Megalith in 2005 resulted in an environmental catastrophe due to the destruction of the city's nuclear fission power plant. Dispersal of radiological materials and subsequent irradiation of the area was itself enough to render the area inhospitable, but the situation was worsened by the geological composition of the region. Built on unstable shale, areas of the peninsula that weren't wiped out in the impact crater sank into the gulf, setting back any repopulation efforts even further.
General Resource proposed the Geofront as the Usean Union sought revitalization of the east coast, still suffering from the loss of its largest city. It was planned in 2016 as an underground city built near Saint Ark's former location under more stable bedrock, but initial commitments to the project were small-scale studies into the its feasibility following the 2016 G7 meeting. The rapid expansion and overpopulation of urban areas due to peak oil in the 2020s, however, led to a reevaluation of the Geofront's benefits, and the UU government agreed to fund the city to alleviate the influx of migrants to Port Edwards, Los Canos, and other central urban hubs.
The immense costs of the excavation and reinforcement of the chamber made it the most expensive public works project in human history, exceeding even Stonehenge. With excavation and construction of supporting structures completed by 2025, work began on life support including ionizing air purifiers and water processing plants. Finally, transportation infrastructure was finished by 2028, and General Resource began selling off the city's rapidly-expanding properties. The Geofront proved to be a commercial success in the long run as General Resource profited annually from tax income left over from maintenance costs as early as 2030. The scale of the project dwarfed Neucom'sYggdrasil and prompted their work on Megafloat.