[C] Interpreting that as asking whether this thing has always existed: YES. [B] NO. But the audience, who applauded the previous question, make appreciative noises.
[B] NO. [C1] YES is the useful answer. A strict and slightly tedious reading of your question could yield the answer NO. [C2] NO. (but good to know I got your logic question correct!) [R] YES, it seems, but probably not significantly for a very long time.
This AVMA seemed like an interesting idea when I thought of it, but in hindsight probably was a mistake. :) And my commitment to exemplifying the AOTC with my answers has left me unable to communicate any nuance in my responses. You are all being too specific; the AOTC is a general (and very simple concept) that is a feature of many of the guesses you have collectively made.
[bl] Not a mythical creature. [B] Not fictional. [SM] The animals that could be involved are all chordates. [T] Not a hedgehog that thinks it's the King. Neither, for that matter, it is an elephant that thinks it's President Putin, nor a platypus that thinks it's Napoleon.
[T] That could be considered a political matter these days. [R] Yes, that's a reasonable description. The few who do not have it might kick up a storm about the AOTC being ableist, hence previous answer.
As I'm feeling generous, here are a few hints. 1. You'll probably need to come at this from both angles. That is, you need to identify what kind of thing the MINERAL thing is, and you will also need to figure out the ABSTRACT connection. 2. Most, probably all, of you won't actually know the specific wording of the AOTC. But an equivalent identifying phrase is acceptable (and, once you've figured that out, the AOTC would be a quick google away). 3. Despite (2), most, probably all, of you know the ABSTRACT connection and most—though probably not all— have in some sense encountered the MINERAL AOTC.
There are lots of geographical features associated with fiction, spanning the spectrum from Rockall to the Marianas trench. Does it span more than one country?
This might be a good point to suggest you re-read my earlier hints. I suppose you could eventually get to the answer via geographic elimination, but that will be boring and might take a while. You won’t get there by guessing the names of mountains that you know; I doubt if any of you know this mountain by name. So I’d suggest following the abstract connection, which I promise you is not obscure.
Feature? No. The AOTC is the name of the entire mountain. The mountain does in some broad sense have a relevant “feature” but it is one that many mountains possess. Kunlun Mountains? No.
Form of AOTC? The AOTC is [Mountain Name]. But the judges would accept an answer in a similar form to "The mountain which stood in for the Lonely Mountain in the film version of the Hobbit" Aoraki, which stood in for the Lonely Mountain in the film version of the Hobbit? No. *applause* North of the equator? No.
JRRT? Yes, because the AOTC is indeed Mount Ngauruhoe, the volcano that was used to represent Mount Doom in the LotR films. Mount Ngauruhoe is a mere 25 km away as the Nazgûl flies (can you have just one Nazgûl?) from where I have been hanging out for the past few weeks. It's a spectacular mountain.
This AVMA was taking so long that I seriously considered just throwing the baton away when we were hiking near the mountain a week or so ago. But I'm glad I didn't, because now I can hand the baton over to Rack. Which I'm totally going to do. Only maybe just not yet.
[SM] I think it unlikely, but I don't know. [C,R,B] Neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire a dam, nor a quarry, nor a barrow. Calling it partly man-made may have been misleading. A simple "no" might have been a better answer there also.
[CdM] Something like, in the sense that it would advise caution. (I have not actually seen the place myself to see just what warnings are posted, and haven't found anything on Google Street View.)