Victory is fleeting but in Middle-earth, the taste of it disappears faster than one can explain. The sixth episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is titled Udûn which in Elvish Sindarin means hell or dark pit or any underground crevices you might associate with evil and where Orcs might crawl through. And in this episode, the people of the Southlands tasted victory but it lasted but for a fleeting moment.

For people familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien’s canon, there is one place that holds the greatest importance: Mount Doom. In the series’ latest episode, we saw the infamous mountain erupt for the first time in the land we call the Southlands soon to be known as Mordor. The mysterious sword hilt found by young Theo had found its way into the hands of Adar (Joseph Mawle). The sword when reforged by the blood of the despicable Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) serves as a key that would unleash a torrent of water, water that would course through the tunnels dug by the orcs while also blowing up geysers and eventually pouring into underground lava in the belly of the mountain. The reaction between lava and water caused a powerful eruption and some might wonder, does water actually trigger a volcano? The answer is, if the conditions are right – yes.

Discussing the eruption, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said they gave the introduction of the iconic mountain a lot of thought eventually deciding to use Tolkien as inspiration. “A huge theme in Tolkien is the environmentalism and the way machines and industrializations destroys the land,” McKay says. “We wanted that to be central and core all the time. It’s a thing that comes up again and again throughout the show.” He goes on to explain that discussions were had on making Mordor initially beautiful, then finding a way that destroys it. “Then you find out about the tunnels being dug and sulfur is going up into the air,” McKay adds. “It all builds toward this geologically realistic way of igniting the mountain, which now blacks out the sky for a very practical reason — Adar, our villain, sees the Orcs as his people and they deserve a home where the sun doesn’t torment them. We’re hoping it will take people by surprise.”

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Image via Prime Video

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Scientifically speaking, however, can water cause such an explosion? Jeffrey Karson, professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Syracuse University who has a specialty in volcanic activity had this to say. “Violent volcanic eruptions occur in large part because water is involved.” Karson then adds, “The water is dissolved in the magma. The magma rises to the surfaces, the water makes bubbles that can turn to steam and the steam and water expand so rapidly that they basically blow the magma apart. That stuff piles up near a central vent and that’s what makes big volcanos. “If that water is in a confined area, like a bottleneck, there’s going to be a steam eruption — we call it a phreatomagmatic eruption.”

So we have Mount Doom finally in the Rings of Power, it remains to be seen who survived the flying balls that accompanied its creation. One thing is for certain – Middle-earth will not be the same again.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres new episodes weekly every Friday on Prime Video.