The Fourteen Flames and the Smoking Sea

[Anthony Appleyard]

I assumed from seeing maps that the Fourteen Flames were across the neck of the Valyrian peninsula, north of Valyria city, and that at the Doom they blew up and collapsed, leaving a caldera, which is the Smoking Sea. But a map in https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Fourteen_Flames shows the Fourteen Flames south of the Smoking Sea, where some maps place Valyria city (or what is left of it.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera

(Postscript: it is noted that the Doom was so hot that it even killed the dragons. But it had other effects was well as pure heat:

(1) Violent winds from volcanic explosions.

(2) Resulting debris impact.

(3) Volcanic ash suffocating the  dragons.)

 

[Bobity.]

Quote

Great rents opened in the earth, swallowing palaces, temples, and entire towns. Lakes boiled or turned to acid, mountains burst, fiery fountains spewed molten rock a thousand feet into the air, and red clouds rained down dragonglass and the black blood of demons. To the north, the ground splintered and collapsed and fell in on itself, and an angry sea came boiling in. - TWOIAF

According the description, the Smoking Sea was "to the north" of Valyria and probably the Fourteen Flames. Typical caldera collapses occur when a lot of volcanic material is exploded outwards, causing a collapse into the resulting void.  The description of the Doom confuses me, opening rents, swallowed palaces/temples/towns...the region of the Smoking Sea having just splintered into itself.  Its like Valyria crumbled into its volcanic self, resulting in an overall loss of mass, as opposed to a proper eruption.

For a more classic caldera, I suggest you look at Marahai in the Jade Sea.

[Back door hodor]

So is this a question? The maps and text are fairly clear. What are you asking?

Edit: not trying to be confrontational, just genuinely curious 

[Narsil4]

18 hours ago, Bobity. said:

Its like Valyria crumbled into its volcanic self, resulting in an overall loss of mass, as opposed to a proper eruption.

A large population of Firewyrms, tunneling around the 14 Flames for thousands of years, maybe could have contributed to the collapse. 

The Black Blood of Demons seems like it might have been oil. So perhaps some of the landmass also collapsed into a large oil reservoir? 

[Anthony Appleyard]

On 11/20/2019 at 8:09 AM, Back door hodor said:

So is this a question? The maps and text are fairly clear. What are you asking?

Edit: not trying to be confrontational, just genuinely curious 

I was merely pointing that, as various sources agree that the Fourteen Flames were in the north of Valyria, the map shown on page https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Fourteen_Flames seems to be wrong in showing "Fourteen Flames" and a red marker on the biggest island in the south of Valyria.

 

[Narsil4]

On the official map Valyria is shown as a ruined city close to the center of that island. 

So north of Valyria and south of the Smoking Sea places the 14 Flames somewhere on the upper half. 

[Back door hodor]

14 hours ago, Anthony Appleyard said:

I was merely pointing that, as various sources agree that the Fourteen Flames were in the north of Valyria, the map shown on page https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Fourteen_Flames seems to be wrong in showing "Fourteen Flames" and a red marker on the biggest island in the south of Valyria.

 

I see, all the maps I've seen have the fourteen flames where they are in the map you linked. 

Based on the very name and description of the smoking sea however, I would guess that there is at least one if not more active volcanoes under the smoking sea.

Maybe Euron will tell us in Winds

[Werthead]

The Fourteen Flames were fourteen large volcanoes located within Valyrian territory. From Tyrion's conversation with the ship captain in ADWD, it sounds like some of the Fourteen Flames are still extant, whilst the violence of the Doom suggests some were destroyed outright.

The illustration of Valyria City in WoIaF also clearly shows at least one of the Fourteen Flames in close proximity to the city.

On that basis, I believe the Fourteen Flames extended up the middle of the Valyrian peninsula from the approximate location of Valyria City to the neck (where the Smoking Sea now is) and extending west and east from there. When the Doom took place, the volcanoes along the neck of the peninsula exploded and were completely destroyed, those located elsewhere were not and remain active (creating the glow Tyrion sees on the horizon).