Board on Geographic Names Rejects 'Mount Doom' Application for Eighth Consecutive Year

The United States Board on Geographic Names has rejected, for the eighth consecutive year, a formal proposal to rename an unnamed volcanic peak in the Cascade Range as 'Mount Doom,' citing its long-standing policy against names derived from fictional sources. The applicant, volcanologist Dr. Trent Caldera of Portland, Oregon, has submitted identical paperwork every January since 2019, each time including a side-by-side photograph of the peak and a still from Peter Jackson's film trilogy that he insists demonstrates 'unmistakable morphological correspondence.' 'Look at it,' Dr. Caldera said, gesturing at his latest submission. 'The conical profile, the persistent fumarolic activity, the general atmosphere of menace. If Tolkien had seen this mountain, he would have said, yes, that is the one.' The Board's rejection letter, which has grown progressively shorter over the years, stated simply: 'The Board does not approve names derived from works of fiction. This policy has not changed since your last seven applications. Please see previous correspondence.' Dr. Caldera is undeterred. 'The Board approved Vulcan's Throne in the Grand Canyon,' he argued. 'Vulcan is a fictional deity. If Roman mythology gets a pass, I fail to see why Tolkien does not.' Board member Dr. Henrietta Datum acknowledged the point has 'some merit' but noted that 'if we open this door, we will receive applications for Narnia, Hogwarts, and Mordor by the end of the week. We already receive three per quarter.' The peak remains unnamed. Dr. Caldera has begun drafting his 2027 application.