The universe of JRR Tolkien occupies an emblematic place in fantasy literature. Works such as Lord of the Rings And The Silmarillion demonstrate Tolkien's ability to create a world of great richness, populated by ancient civilizations, legendary creatures and spectacular landscapes.
Middle Earth, with its vast expanses, imposing mountains and mysterious forests, is the scene of an epic that continues to captivate generations of readers. The film adaptations of Peter Jackson reinforced this phantasmagoria, and the series The Rings of Power produced by Prime Video continues in this direction by exploring new aspects of this universe while maintaining the visual appeal and mythological depth of the original work.
However, although Tolkien's universe is fascinating, it is not free of contradictions, particularly on a geological level. From mountains created by acts of fantasy to volcanoes defying the laws of plate tectonics, the map of Middle-earth contains elements that elude conventional scientific explanation. This article examines these inconsistencies in the light of modern knowledge, putting Tolkien's geographical descriptions into perspective with their interpretation in Peter Jackson's films and the Prime Video series, while seeking to understand how the necessities of narrative have sometimes prevailed. on geological plausibility.
[Un article issu de The Conversation écrit par Enseignant-chercheur en géochimie et responsable intégrité scientifique et science ouverte, UniLaSalle et Enseignante-chercheuse en géologie structurale, UniLaSalle]
Geology and fantasy: an inevitable contradiction?
When Tolkien designed Middle-earth, he was not seeking to create a geologically accurate world, but to build a mythical and epic universe for his stories. Drawing inspiration from ancient legends and myths, particularly Scandinavian mythology, he fashioned a world governed by supernatural forces rather than natural laws. Tolkien himself recognized the geological limitations of his world, admitting in his correspondence that the geology of Middle-earth was “severely imperfect by the standards of modern science.” This shows that scientific accuracy was not his priority; he favored the mythical aspect of his universe.
This choice is partly explained by the scientific context of the time. When Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings(in the 1930s and 1940s), the theory of plate tectonics was not yet well established, and it was not until the late 1960s that it became widely accepted. Knowledge about the formation of mountains and volcanoes was limited, and Tolkien, with no training in geology, imagined a world where landforms were shaped by supernatural forces. But even if he had written later, at a time when plate tectonics would have been well known, what would have stopped him from imagining everything, in a fantasy world? Was it expected to be scientifically impeccable?
In this universe, mountains, rivers and forests are not simple elements of the landscape, but the fruit of fantastic acts or the site of mythological battles. For example, the Misty Mountains, created by Morgoth, are not the result of plate tectonics, but of a precise narrative intention. Likewise, the destruction of Númenor and the submergence of the ancient Land of Aman are more related to mythological stories, notably inspired by the myth of Atlantis, than to natural geological processes.
Geological inconsistencies in Tolkien's work
Tolkien's universe presents marked geological inconsistencies, exacerbated by the author's narrative choices. Three notable examples are the Misty Mountains, Mordor and Mount Doom, as well as the White Mountains.
The Misty Mountains (Misty Mountains): This range extends for thousands of kilometers with an almost perfect north-south orientation. In reality, such a formation would imply a major geological fault or a long tectonic history, absent from the story. Such a vast and linear mountain range would normally result from complex processes like the collision of tectonic plates, with evidence of significant folding, faulting and deformation, which is never mentioned in Tolkien's work. The absence of these geological details suggests that these mountains were created to serve narrative purposes, rather than to reflect geological realities.
Mordor and Mount Doom
Mount Destiny (also translated Mountain of Destiny), a volcano active for millennia, is the only one in Mordor, which is unlikely from a geological point of view without other associated volcanic manifestations. The induced eruption of Mount Destiny, a central moment in the Rings of Power series, is an example of how narrative can trump geological logic. In the series, this cataclysmic event is triggered intentionally, illustrating how mythical and narrative forces shape events, to create Mordor, while distancing themselves from realistic geological processes.
Geologically, these types of volcanoes form along convergence zones where an oceanic tectonic plate slides beneath a continental plate or another oceanic plate, a process called subduction. As the plate plunges into the mantle, it experiences an increase in temperature and pressure, causing the release of volatile fluids like water. These fluids, escaping from the subducted plate, lower the melting point of the overlying mantle, creating magma. This magma, less dense than the surrounding rock, rises to the surface forming volcanoes. These volcanoes are often located in mountain ranges like the Andes or island arcs like the Lesser Antilles.
The White Mountains
Situated well to the south, these mountains are described as permanently snow-capped, which is inconsistent with the region's climate.
In reality, permanently snow-covered mountains are generally located at high latitudes, near the poles, or at very high altitudes where temperatures remain low all year round.
However, the White Mountains are located well to the south of Middle-earth, in an area which would approximately correspond to a temperate or even subtropical climate in our world. In such a region, it is unlikely that a mountain range could remain permanently snow-covered unless it reaches extremely high altitudes, which is not the case for the White Mountains as described by Tolkien. The contrast between their geographical location and their perpetual snow cover thus constitutes a climatic inconsistency, because a warmer and more temperate climate would make it difficult for snow to persist at moderate altitudes.
Why adaptations amplify geological inconsistencies
Peter Jackson's films and series The Rings of Power accentuated these inconsistencies for visual and narrative reasons. The grandiose landscapes and extreme environments, while impressive, can sometimes defy geological plausibility. For example, Mordor is depicted as a barren land dominated by an isolated Mount Doom, creating monumentality at the expense of scientific credibility. The caused eruption of Mount Destin in the series The Rings of Powerthe founding moment of the story, accentuates this aspect by introducing a spectacular element, but implausible from a geological point of view. Likewise, the White Mountains, with their snow-capped peaks, are even more majestic on screen, accentuating the epic aspect, but distorting the climatic reality.
Tolkien's universe, magnified by cinematographic and television adaptations, goes beyond geological realities to serve an epic narrative and a coherent mythology in itself. If the geological inconsistencies are undeniable, they are largely compensated by the narrative richness and the immersion that this universe provides. Peter Jackson's films and series The Rings of Powerwhile amplifying certain inconsistencies, succeed in capturing the epic essence of Middle-earth, offering a captivating fictional world despite its scientific “flaws”.
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