Caucasus Mountains
:''This article is about the terrestrial Eurasian mountain range. For other meanings, see
Caucasus (disambiguation) and
Caucasia (disambiguation).
The
Caucasus Mountains are a
mountain system in
Eurasia between the
Black and the
Caspian sea in the
Caucasus region.The Caucasus Mountains are made up of two separate mountain systems:
* the
Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and
* the
Lesser Caucasus Mountains.
The
Greater Caucasus Range extends from the
Caucasian Natural Reserve in the vicinity of
Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea, generally trending east-southeast and reaching nearly to
Baku on the Caspian Sea. While the
Lesser Caucasus runs parallel to the greater range, at a distance averaging about 100 km (60 mi) south. The borders of
Georgia,
Armenia, the Republic of
Azerbaijan, and
Iran run through the range, although its crest does not usually define the border.
Meskheti Range is a part of the Lesser Caucasus system. The Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges are connected by the
Likhi Range, which separates the
Kolkhida Lowland from the
Kura Depression (
Kura Lowland). In the South-East are the
Talysh Mountains. Lesser Caucasus and
Armenian Highland constitute the
Transcaucasian Highland. The highest peak in the Caucasus range is
Mount Elbrus in the Greater Caucasus, which rises to a height of 18,506 feet (5,642 meters) above sea level.
The Caucasus Mountains formed ca. 28.5–23.8 million years ago as the result of a
tectonic plate collision between the
Arabian plate moving northward with respect to the
Eurasian plate. The mountain system forms a continuation of the
Himalaya, which are being pressed upwards by a similar collison zone with the Eurasian and
Indian plates. The entire region is regularly subjected to strong
earthquakes from this activity, especially as the fault structure is complex with the Anatolia/Turkey and Iranian Blocks flowing sidewise, which prevents subduction of the advancing plate edge and hence the lack of volcanoes on the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range (though minor dome structures, such as
Mount Elbrus and Mount
Kazbek do exist). The Lesser Caucasus Mountains on the other hand, are largely of
volcanic origin. The
Javakheti Volcanic Plateau in
Georgia and the surrounding volcanic ranges which extend well into central
Armenia are some of the youngest and the most unstable geological features of the region.
There are large
granite,
gneiss,
petroleum (estimated reserves: up to 200 billion barrels) and numerous
natural gas deposits found in the area.
It is unclear whether the Caucasus Mountains are part of
Europe or
Asia. Depending on this Europe's highest mountain is either Mount Elbrus (18,506 feet) or
Mont Blanc in the french
Alps with a hight of 15,774 feet.The Caucasus Mountains are located in the middle of the Eurasian plate between Europe and Asia. Because the plate is geological stable in this region, it is hard to determine the exact course of the continental borderline. So throughout history it changed from one place to another. The ancient
Greeks saw the
Bosphorus and the Caucasus Mountains as the border of Europe. Later this view changed several times for political reasons. In the
Migration Period and the
Middle Ages Bosphorus and the river
Don divided the two continents.
The current official course of the border was defined by the
Swedish officer and
geographer Philip Johan von Strahlenberg, who suggested the border to follow the peaks of the
Urals, and then the lower
Emba and the coast of the Caspian Sea, before passing through the
Kuma-Manych Depression, which lies 300 km north of the Caucasus Mountains. In
1730 this course was approved by the russian
Tsar and since then adopted by many scientists.Following this definition the mountains are part of Asia. Therefore the highest european mountain is Mont Blanc.
Another possible point of view is that the border runs through the Caucasus Mountains themselves, in particular along the
water divide between the northern and the southern flank. Following this the Elbrus lies north of the border and is part of Europe and therefore the highest european mountain.
Today
politically the border is considered to be between
Russia (Europe) on one side and
Georgia,
Armenia und
Azerbaijan (Asia) on the other.
The table below lists some of the highest peaks of the Caucasus. With the exeption of
Shkhara, the heights are taken from Soviet 1:50,000 mapping. There are higher and more prominent, but nameless, peaks than some of the peaks included below.[[Image:Aragats south.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Mt. {{Aragats}}, in {{Armenia}} is the highest peak of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains]]
!Peak Name | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | - | Elbrus ¦¦ 5,642 | 4,741 | Russia |- |Dykh-Tau ¦¦ 5,205 | 2,002 | Russia |- | Shkhara ¦¦ 5,201 | 1,365 | Russia/Georgia |- |Koshtan-Tau ¦¦ 5,152 | 822 | Russia |- |Jangi-Tau (Janga) ¦¦ 5,059 | 300 | Russia/Georgia | | Kazbek ¦¦5,034 | 2,353 | Russia/Georgia |- | Pushkin¦¦ 5,033 | 110 | Russia/Georgia |
| Katyn-Tau ¦¦ 4,979 | 240 | Russia/Georgia |- |Shota Rustaveli ¦¦ 4,860 | c.50 | Russia/Georgia |- |Tetnuld ¦¦ 4,858 | 672 | Georgia |- |}
See also: List of the most prominent mountains in the CaucasusThe climate of the Caucasus varies both vertically (according to elevation) and horizontally (by latitude and location). Temperature generally decreases as elevation rises. Average annual temperature in Sukhumi, Abkhazia at sea level is 15 degrees Celsius while on the slopes of Mt. Kazbek at an elevation of 3700 meters, average annual temperature falls to -6.1 degrees Celsius. The northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range are 3 degrees (Celsius) colder than the southern slopes. The highlands of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are marked by sharp temperature contrasts between the summer and winter months due to a more continental climate.
Precipitation increases from east to west in most areas. Elevation plays an important role in the Caucasus and mountains generally receive higher amounts of precipitation than low-lying areas. The northeastern regions (Dagestan) and the southern portions of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains are the driest. The absolute minimum annual precipitation is 250mm (8.4 inches) in the northeastern Caspian Depression. Western parts of the Caucasus Mountains are marked by high amounts of precipitation. The southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range receive higher amounts of precipitation than the northern slopes. Annual precipitation in the Western Caucasus ranges from 1000-4000mm (39-157 inches) while in the Eastern and Northern Caucasus (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ossetia, Kakheti, Kartli, etc) precipitation ranges from 600-1800mm (23.6-70.9 inches). The absolute maximum annual precipitation is 4100mm (161 inches) around the Mt. Mtirala area which lies on the Meskheti Range in Ajaria. The precipitation of the Lesser Caucasus Mountain Range (Southern Georgia, Armenia, western Azerbaijan), not including the Meskheti Range, varies from 300-800mm (11.8-31.5 inches) annually.
The Caucasus Mountains are known for the high amount of snowfall, although many regions which are not located along the windward slopes do not receive nearly as much snow. This is especially true for the Lesser Caucasus Mountains which are somewhat isolated from the moist influences coming in from the Black Sea and receive considerably less precipitation (in the form of snow) than the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The average winter snow cover of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains ranges from 10-30cm (4-12 inches). The Greater Caucasus Mountains (especially the southwestern slopes) are marked by heavy snowfall. Avalanches are common from November-April.
Snow cover in several regions (Svanetia, northern Abkhazia ) may reach 5 meters (16.4 feet). The Mt. Achishkho region, which is the snowiest place in the Caucasus, often records snow depths of 7 meters (23 feet).The Caucasus Mountains have a varied landscape which mainly changes vertically and according to the distance from large bodies of water. The region contains biomes ranging from subtropical low-land marshes/forests to glaciers (Western and Central Caucasus) as well as highland semideserts/steppes and alpine meadows in the south (mainly Armenia and Azerbaijan). The northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains are covered by oak, hornbeam, maple, and ash forests at lower elevations while birch and pine forests take over at higher elevations. Some of the lowest locations/slopes of the region are covered by steppes and grasslands. The slopes of the Northwestern Greater Caucasus (Kabardino-Balkaria, Cherkessia, etc.) also contain spruce and fir forests. The alpine zone replaces the forest around 2,000 meters above sea level. The permafrost/glacier line generally starts around 2,800-3,000 meters. The south-eastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains are covered by beech, oak, maple, hornbeam, and ash forests. Beech forests tend to dominate in higher locations. The south-western slopes of the Greater Caucasus are covered by Colchian forests (oak, buxus, beech, chestnut, hornbeam, elm) at lower elevations with coniferous and mixed forests (spruce, fir and beech) taking over at higher elevations. The alpine zone on the southern slopes may extend up to 2,800 meters above sea level while the glacier/snow line starts from 3,000-3,500 meters.The northern and western slopes of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains are characterized both by Colchian and other deciduous forests at lower elevations while mixed and coniferous forests (mainly spruce and fir) dominate at higher elevations. Beech forests are also common at higher elevations. The southern slopes of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains are largely covered by grasslands and steppes up to an elevation of 2,500 meters. The highest areas of the region contain alpine grasslands as well. Volcanic and other rock formations are common throughout the region. The volcanic zone extends over a large area from southern Georgia into Armenia and southwestern Azerbaijan. Some of the prominent peaks of the region include Mt. Aragats, Didi Abuli, Samsari, and others. The area is characterized by volcanic plateaus, lava flows, volcanic lakes, cones and other features. The Lesser Caucasus Mountains lack the type of glaciers/glacial features that are common on the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range.
Parts of this article are from the NASA Earth Observatory; [1]* NASA Earth Observatory images of the Caucasus: [2]
*Highest Peaks of the Caucasus from peakbagger.com
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