Middle Earth Map Notes

I've taken a few other fantasy maps to task.  Seeing as I just saw the Hobbit (first film), figured it was time to take a stab at what is basically the iconic map of fantasy literature, Middle Earth.

First, the map:

Middle Earth

Okay basically the area we call middle earth, is an area bounded by Forodwaith, Thun, Mordor, Gondor and the Great Sea.   Note I am not going to try and put all the accent marks and diacreticals in this piece.

Watersheds

In terms of watersheds we have everything west of the Misty Mountains (and south of their extension, the White Mountains, much of which is part of the Greyflood drainage basin... and on the other side we have the Great River Anduin, which flows through a gap between Mindolluin (the mountain above Minas Tirith) and some smaller hills called the Emyn Armen which look like a continuation of the white mountains.  

However, we also have two large enorheic basins which drain into landlocked "seas" (lakes).  All of Mordor is basically one endorheic basin draining into the "Sea" of Nurnen, and you have the larger Rhun basin likewise draining into the "Sea" of Rhun.   While the northern part of Mordor is barren, by accounts the southern part, Nurn, around the Sea of Nurn is actually green and fertile, and that is where Sauron had slave farms producing the food for his vast armies.    Still, as an endorheic basic this means we must have enough rainfall to sustain the rivers that flow into the lake to keep it stable.  If we had more rainfall in theory the lake would enlarge, and in theory enough could have turned Mordor into a giant lake.   Well in theory it would have an outlet in Udun, the one break in the mountains, or at least it would had Sauron not built Morannon (the Black Gate).  There is a tiny piece of Mordor drained by the Morgulduin stream that flows into the Anduin, this stream flows past Minas Morgul.

The Rhun basin includes the Celduin (aka the River Running) and its tributary the Forest River which joins it at Long Lake, and flows across Mirkwood.   In fact its source in the Gray Mountains is very close to the Anduin.  This means for all its might the Anduin does not pull that much a watershed from its eastern bank, at best maybe half of Mirkwood is in its basic, which places a divide running down the middle of Mirkwood.  On the map every tributary of the Anduin (and it doesn't really have any great ones) are short rivers tumbling down the Misty Mountains.   (there is one river that looks like it flows in from the east, the Greylin, but that is actually a source stream of the Anduin.  Its source is very close indeed to the Forest River.   It does perhaps drain the Dead Marshes.

The Celduin is interesting as it commands a huge basin.   It has a tributary called the Carnen (Redwater) whose source is in the Iron Hills, meaning at least part if not all of these hills are inside the Rhun basin.  For more detail of the main branch of the Celduin, we turn to the map from the hobbit:

Hobbit Map

This confirms even more of the Mirkwood being in the Rhun basin as we have a tributary of the Forest River, the Enchanted River also being part of the watershed.    We do see some mountains in wood (aptly titled "Mountains of Mirkwood".   I'm going to hazard a guess that the watershed south of these mountains is more towards Anduin, and north more towards the Celduin (River Running).  But that is just a guess.

and for more detail, Thror's map which was carried by Thorin Oakenshield.

Thror's map

Note that North is to the left in this map.   One intersting note is that the Forest River is depicted as a larger river than the Running River (Celduin).  Implying that it may be the principle source.   This would make sense, as it is longer, flows through a green vegated landscape and has a long tributary of its own.   The Running River on the other hand...  Its source is depicted as basically Erebor.  The Lonely Mountain.     Which is a presumably volcanic peak standing alone in a flat plain, miles from anything higher than it.   Which begs the question what kind of water table exactly could it hold, such to source a river like the Celduin.  The mountain's upper peak is apparently snowcapped, it must be to source such a river.  Even so it would not have that much to draw upon.   So I conclude the Forest River is actually the parent stream, though this may be obfuscated by the fact they both meet in Long Lake, and the natural inclination may have been to map it as if the stream in the same direction were.

Volcanos

It is notable that at least two prominent peaks... Erebor and Doom both appear to be volcanic in origin.  Erebor has all the signs of volcanism, arms that appear to have been "flows" and being isolated from any other mountain.   (if you really want to debate whether it is volcanic, I suggest this thread.    Further, its steep flanks point to a thicker, less hot magma than the basaltic variety we see in Hawaii, that would result in a much more gradual shield volcano (unlesss it subsequently eroded which is possible).     This might explain why its lava was unsuitable to destroy the one ring.   Only problem is Mount Doom itself does not appear to be a shield volcano either.  Unless Sauron just willed it that way.   But if you cop that out, you can use that for anything (e.g., the mountains around Mordor for example)./

Anyway those are just some quick observations.   There's a ton more to break down, will see if i feel the urge to continue...