Cracks of Doom

The Cracks of Doom was the name given to the volcanic fissure in Mount Doom, where Frodo Baggins had to throw the One Ring into to be destroyed. It was the only place in Middle-earth where the One Ring could be destroyed.
== History ==
Elrond leads Isildur to the Cracks of Doom to destroy the One Ring immediately after it is cut from Sauron's hand, but Isildur refuses and takes the Ring for himself. It appears as a doorway with a long bridge that ends with a narrow cliff, to where the lava falls.
This place is described in The Return of the King as a great fissure boring a large tunnel down into Mount Doom. From the Cracks of Doom, a red light, presumably from lava, was emitted. The red glow was the only light in the cavern, as even the Phial of Galadriel was dimmed by the power of Sauron in the heart of his realm. There was a road leading from Barad-dûr to the Cracks of Doom.
Frodo claimed the One Ring here; he and Gollum fought over it. Gollum subsequently fell into the Cracks itself with the Ring, thus completing the Quest of the Ring.