Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-70.65.188.97-20170811203633/@comment-25915779-20170813023533

There also isn't really any way to tell if the area is rich in minerals as the natives weren't able to get past the snow, ice, and permafrost of the region. Let's look at the Misty Mountains shall we? The tallest mountain range in Middle-earth and also home to the most wealthy civilization in Middle-earth. The mountains were the tallest, therefore pushing the valuable materials closer to the surface and to a level that could be achieved by dwarven mining. With the knowledge that mountain ranges are formed when plates push together, its safe to assume that all mountain ranges would have higher concentrations of gems and metals (but not as much as the misties because they were the tallest). The Blue Mountains, now known to have been lowered by erosion and the fall of Beleriand, were home to enough precious materials to make the dwarves rich. Why would any other mountain range be too terribly different aside from the mineral deposits of that particular region?

Wealth isn't based entirely off wealth in the earth, it comes from trade. The Lossoth were a primitive people and most likely wouldn't have had much use for coins and gold and gems. Of course the chieftains would have small stores and the citizens would have a few trinkets here and there but their need would be for weapons, armor, and tools to combat the cold and protect themselves from potential threats like the Witch-king (of which they were known to have observed in the past). The Blue Mountains grew wealthy through the trade of their natural resources with the elves and men of Beleriand and Khazad-dum grew wealthy through trade with the elves of Eregion. Realms grow to flourish with proper trade and the Lossoth would've certainly traded frequently but not nearly enough to fund a whole nation based on trade.