Yet Another Middle Earth

[Rythal]

to me the mountains look like brown ridges with white plateaus on parts. some [more?] shading would be in order i think to make it look better.

@Gregorus: I know. Although, to be fair, Sauron (or was Morgoth still around when Mordor was created? Been a while since the Silmarillion) probably just made those mountains. It helps when you have a divine being in the flesh living in the improbable zone.

no, mordor served as a refuge for sauron after morgoth was obliterated and angband was resting at the bottom of a brand new sea, and the world of arda is based on an alternate geographical history of earth essentially; in the world maps you can sort of make out the different continents of today.

History of Mordor 101

Dring the first and second age of arda (before beleriand and numenore sunk) the region of mordor was mostly covered by the sea of Helcar, though I cant recall any explanation for its drainage (perhaps to fill the sudden hole created by a sunken beleriand). The mountains surrounding mordor were the former coast of helcar, and the black, lifeless land are mainly due to a very rocky bottom I should guess.

on a side note, the sea of rhun seems to be a remnant of helcar

this map might help you understand former geology of middle earth:

http://users.abo.fi/jolin/tolkien/at...ge_of_arda.gif