Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 6.region known as the Southlands, and a check at the map confirms this location is destined to become the barren volcanic wasteland known as Mordor in the time of the Fellowship of the Ring.
The Southlands' transformation began in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 6, which finally revealed Adar's true plan. Adar had led the Orcs to the Southlands, constructing an elaborate series of underground tunnels that ultimately led to the lava lake beneath Mount Doom. He then sought out Sauron's sword, which served as a key to unlock the dams that controlled the rivers of the Southlands. With the key turned, the waters flooded down the valleys and into the tunnels the Orcs had dug. They swept into the lava lake, triggering a massive volcanic eruption. The Orcs of The Rings of Power cannot go out into the sun, but the cloud of volcanic ash released by the eruption will blot out the sun, allowing them to claim the land.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 6 ending is a truly spectacular one, with Adar's plan successful. Sauron's sword is used to unleash the floodwaters, and the volcanic eruption is triggered as Adar had planned. Galadriel faces total defeat, coming just at the moment she was considering her battle against evil at an end. Some viewers were taken aback at the dramatic escalation, but oddly enough, the plan is far more scientifically accurate than the sequence would seem at first glance, other than one crucial flaw that ignores the reality of real-life volcanoes.
The Rings Of Power's Volcanic Eruption Is Scientifically Accurate
Southlands in Rings of Power hinted at past volcanic eruptions; volcanic soil is composed of eroded ash, and full of minerals for growing crops.
Adar's Volcano Plan Has One Flaw In The Rings Of Power
There is, however, one major flaw to Adar's plan; the fact he and his Orcs are far too close to Mount Doom when the eruption takes place. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 6 shows pyroclastic flows sweeping down the valleys of the Southlands, obliterating all in their path. This, again, is scientifically accurate; such destruction is indeed associated with a phreatomagmatic eruption. But The Rings of Power underestimates just how dangerous pyroclastic flows really are; they're clouds of toxic, superheated gases that can be in excess of 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. Oddly enough, by sheer coincidence Adar and some of his Orcs may survive; they're fortunate enough to be imprisoned in shelters, which means the kinetic blast may be blunted by the buildings and the pyroclastic flow may roll over them. In 1902, a prisoner on the island of Martinique did indeed survive the pyroclastic flow that leveled the city of San Pierre by virtue of being in a cell. But even then he sustained grievous injuries.
It seems likely The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will ignore this point. Too many of its central characters are stood in the open, with Galadriel herself standing and watching as the pyroclastic flow races towards her. To be fair to the scriptwriters, this is not a scientific journal; it is a fantasy series, and Mordor should be considered a land of evil magic. Scientific accuracy can only go so far.
The Rings Of Power Continues The Accuracy Of The Lord Of The Rings
Oddly enough, the scientific accurate of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power mirrors that of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His version of Mount Doom was based on New Zealand's active volcano Mount Ruapehu, and he even incorporated footage from a 1998 eruption in The Return of the King. The lava lake itself was an addition, necessary to explain how Frodo managed to destroy the One Ring (in accordance with J.R.R. Tolkien's novels). But, again, the accuracy only went so far; the subsequent lava flows were lifted from footage of Mount Etna in Italy, and there's no way Frodo and Sam could have survived being so close to the superheated gases seeping out of the lava.
The Lord of the Rings: is adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's notes, and the Southlands are technically an original creation woven into his narrative. The concept works well, though, not least because the way the volcanic eruptions are shaping Mordor is surprisingly accurate. Many aspects of Adar's plan are based on science fact rather than fantasy, helping make a world of Elves and Orcs feel surprisingly immersive and even oddly realistic. It's amusing that both The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power technically reach the limits of their accuracy when it comes to the circumstances their core characters survive, an odd note of consistency as the franchise continues to develop.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.
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