'Lord of the Rings' volcano may be alive
Mordor is currently a very dangerous place.
A volcano that featured in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy has had its eruption alert level lifted as temperatures continued to rise over the last few weeks.
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The volcano, Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park, is the largest active volcano in New Zealand. It hasn't erupted since 2007 but it now seems increasingly possible it will blow. Due to this, the alert level has been raised to the second highest level.
In the Lord of the Rings, some scenes involved Mount Doom were filmed on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu. In the trilogy, Mount Doom is represented mainly by Mount Ngauruhoe, a nearby volcano in the same region.
Mount Doom in Mordor is the only place the Ring can be destroyed and is the final destination for the journey of the character Frodo Baggins.
The volcanic activity has been upgraded to "moderate to heightened volcanic unrest," according to GeoNet New Zealand. The temperature in the lake has reached a consistent 45 degrees Celsius. This along with gas output and continuous activity mean Ruapehu is seeing heightened volcanic activity.
Tourists and Lord of the Rings fans have been warned to stay far, far away from the iconic mountain.
A New Zealand volcanologist, Geoff Kilgour, told The Independent there had been a spike in temperature recently and that people should reconsider the need to visit.
"Ruapehu has been on a level 1 alert for some time, but we had to raise that after the crater zone lake appeared to heat up very rapidly, a significant spike of 20 degrees in two weeks," he said.
According to GeoNet, an increased gas output along with a higher than average heat flow and volcanic tremors means there is a higher chance of activity.
"We believe this could develop into a bigger event so we agree that hikers should take advice before travelling to the national park," Kilgour added.
Stay safe, residents of Middle-earth.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Mount Ruapehu as Mount Doom. In fact, the nearby Mount Ngauruhoe is Mount Doom. GeoNet tweeted a clarification.
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