[Man-of-the-Wold]

The point about the Sea of Helcar drawings being very early in Tolkien's work is valid, but at the same time he could have and maybe did (I still have HoME X-XII, to go) refine the conception in any number of ways. My understanding is that the "Ambarkanta" maps rather loosely relate to simply the time after the Chaining of Melkor. Therefore, by the more proper, historical "First Age", and the eastward passing of the Edain and Druedain, the Sea of Helcar was plausibly quite well drained by a combination of uplifting, widening of its outlet to Belgaer, and expansion of ice caps, and Mordor has largely appeared.

My recent readings of HoME VI-IX left me with that kind of an impression. In those books, the conception of the Mordorian mountains begins as a much less remarkarble juxtaposition of mountain chains. In time, Tolkien obviously felt that they possessed, in fact, a much more exceptional type of fence-like quality.

Karen Fonstand's Atlas's best contribution is to show how much geological forces can explain Tolkien's world. I doubt he was any more of a Geologist than I am, which ain't much, but he clearly observed the physical world. For example, the downs and hills of Eriador, which are meant to have considerable elevation, Fonstad very credibly explains through a complex and unlikely combination of ancient/extreme volcanism, subsequent tectonic spreading and then prolonged/uneven erosion---merely, a conceivable albeit uncommom combination in our world.

Still, as much as Middle-Earth can be described in terms of natural geology, we don't have the foggiest idea about fundamental relationships, such as dry land compared to global water and the relative amounts of that as were liquid or frozen. Without such information, so much is possible. Tweak some of Earth's qualities and you end of with Mars or Venus.

Also, Tolkien seems to really emphasize instances of hills and mountains, for which the land on one side was substantially higher than on the other, hence "The Rammas" and the frequency of "downs". My sense is that the valley's of the Greyflood and Lune were thousands of feet lower than even the northerly flatlands between them. Indeed, Morder as whole could be a lower, more compact Tibetan-like plateau surrounded by a fringe of mountains. The ascent to Kirith Ungol, even with the help of an incredibly long subterrainean passages takes much more time than the descent on the other side.

Returning to Eriador, I speculate that Tolkien may have been thinking in terms of British-like geology that is then extended and made more severe in all demensions on a North American like scale.

Also, the blank areas on Tolkien's maps are not necessarily in all cases, flat, featureless voids. North of the Ered Lithui there could be much that Tolkien was unsure about that would make the Ash Mountains less extraordinary. For example, The Hobbit says how Erebor was connected to the Grey Mountains, but that from most vantage points the connection was obscured, such that the Mountain's loneliness was more appearance than truly bizarre.

For Mordor, one has to consider the multiple impacts of volcanism, tectonics, glaciation and erosion. The Anduin and the Entwash would have broken up topography in ways, such that the North-South line of the Ephel Duath would have otherwise been much less remarkable and disconnected from the virtually Himilayan mastiff of the Ered Nimrais.

With the interior of Mordor, and presumably the surrounding mountains, especially those of "ash," one sees a concentratrion and intensity of surface volcanism that is comparable to having Iceland, Yellowstone and Hawaii all in one area, and a situation in which a line of surface rifts was twisted at a right angle.

After one considers the plausible conincidence of these primary forces of nature, there is in my view still room for the direct effects or indirect consequences associated with "secondary power," to use Fonstad's words, arising from the War of Wrath, Sauron at the height of his Second-Age power, and the Drowning of Numenor.

Considering only the War of Wrath, recall that the inundation of Beleriand was not a deliberate occurrence, but rather a result of power unleashed (kaos if you will) between the Valar and Angband, which supposedly did affect the landscape well beyond Beleriand, and Mordor is not all that far away. Tolkien makes clear that north and west of the line running from the Sea of Umbar to the Sea of Rhun, we are dealing only with the Northwest of Middle-Earth.

[ May 31, 2003: Message edited by: Man-of-the-Wold ]

[ May 31, 2003: Message edited by: Man-of-the-Wold ]