What is the name of the largest mountain in the Caucasus. Caucasus - the highest mountains in Russia

The Caucasus Mountains are located on the isthmus between the Caspian and Black Seas. The Kuma-Manych depression separates the Caucasus from the East European Plain. The territory of the Caucasus can be divided into several parts: Ciscaucasia, Greater Caucasus and Transcaucasia. In the territory Russian Federation located only Ciscaucasia and Northern part Greater Caucasus. The last two parts together are called the North Caucasus. However, for Russia, this part of the territory is the southernmost. Here, along the crest of the Main Range, passes state border Russian Federation, followed by Georgia and Azerbaijan. Whole system Caucasian ridge occupies an area of approximately 2600 m2, and its northern slope occupies about 1450 m2, while the southern one is only about 1150 m2.

North- Caucasian mountains comparatively young. Their relief was created by different tectonic structures. Located in the southern part fold-block mountains and foothills of the Greater Caucasus. They were formed when deep trough zones were filled with sedimentary and volcanic rocks, which were later subjected to folding. Tectonic processes here were accompanied by significant bends, extensions, ruptures and faults of earth layers. As a result, a large number of magma (this led to the formation of significant ore deposits). The uplifts that took place here in the Neogene and Quaternary periods led to the elevation of the surface and the type of relief that exists today. The rise of the central part of the Greater Caucasus was accompanied by the lowering of the layers along the edges of the ridge being formed. Thus, the Terek-Caspian trough was formed in the east, and the Indal-Kuban trough in the west.

Often the Greater Caucasus is presented as the only ridge. In fact, this is a whole system of various ridges, which can be divided into several parts. Western Caucasus located from the Black Sea coast to Mount Elbrus, then (from Elbrus to Kazbek) follows the Central Caucasus, and to the east from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea - the Eastern Caucasus. In addition, two ridges can be distinguished in the longitudinal direction: Vodorazdelny (sometimes called the main one) and Lateral. On the northern slope of the Caucasus, the Rocky and Pasture Ranges, as well as the Black Mountains, are distinguished. They were formed as a result of the interbedding of layers composed of sedimentary rocks of different hardness. One slope of the ridge here is gentle, and the other breaks off rather abruptly. As you move away from the axial zone, the height of the mountain ranges decreases.

The chain of the Western Caucasus begins at the Taman Peninsula. At the very beginning, it is rather not even mountains, but hills. They begin to rise towards the east. The highest parts North Caucasus covered with snow caps and glaciers. The highest peaks of the Western Caucasus are the Fisht (2870 meters) and Oshten (2810 meters) mountains. Most high part mountain system The Greater Caucasus is the Central Caucasus. Even some passes at this point reach a height of 3 thousand meters, and the lowest of them (Cross) lies at an altitude of 2380 meters. Here are the highest peaks of the Caucasus. So, for example, the height of Mount Kazbek is 5033 meters, and the two-headed dormant volcano Elbrus is indeed the highest peak in Russia.

The relief here is strongly dissected: sharp ridges, steep slopes and rocky peaks prevail. Eastern part Greater Caucasus are mainly numerous ridges Dagestan (in translation, the name of this region means " Mountain country"). There are complex branching ridges with steep slopes and deep canyon-like river valleys. However, the height of the peaks here is less than in the central part of the mountain system, but still they exceed the height of 4 thousand meters. The uplift of the Caucasus Mountains continues in our time. Quite frequent earthquakes in this region of Russia are connected with this. To the north of the Central Caucasus, where the magma rising along the cracks did not spill onto the surface, low, so-called island mountains formed. The largest of them are Beshtau (1400 meters) and Mashuk (993 meters). At their base there are numerous sources of mineral waters.

The so-called Ciscaucasia is occupied by the Kuban and Tersko-Kuma lowlands. They are separated from each other by the Stavropol Upland, the height of which is 700-800 meters. The Stavropol Upland is dissected by wide and deeply incised valleys, gullies and ravines. At the base of this area lies a young slab. Its structure is made up of Neogene formations covered with limestone deposits - loess and loess-like loams, and in the eastern part there are also marine deposits of the Quaternary period. The climate in this area is quite favorable. Enough high mountains serve as a good barrier to cold air penetrating here. The proximity of the long cooling sea also has an effect. The Greater Caucasus is the border between the two climatic zones subtropical and temperate. On Russian territory The climate is still temperate, but the above factors contribute to fairly high temperatures.

Mountains of the Caucasus As a result, winters in Ciscaucasia are quite warm ( average temperature in January is about -5°С). This is facilitated by warm air masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean. On the Black Sea coast, the temperature rarely drops below zero mark(average January temperature 3°С). IN mountainous areas the temperature is naturally lower. Thus, the average temperature in the plains in summer is about 25°C, and in the upper reaches of the mountains - 0°C. Precipitation in this area falls mainly due to cyclones coming from the west, as a result of which their amount gradually decreases towards the east.

Most precipitation falls on the southwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. Their number on the Kuban Plain is about 7 times lower. In the mountains of the North Caucasus, glaciation is developed, in terms of the area of \u200b\u200bwhich this region ranks first among all regions of Russia. The rivers flowing here are fed by water formed during the melting of glaciers. The largest Caucasian rivers are the Kuban and Terek, as well as their numerous tributaries. mountain rivers, as usual, are fleeting, and in their lower reaches there are swampy spaces overgrown with reeds and reeds.

The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system between the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. The etymology of the name has not been established.

It is divided into two mountain systems: the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus.

The Caucasus is often divided into the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, the border between which is drawn along the Main, or Watershed, ridge of the Greater Caucasus, which occupies a central position in the mountain system.

The Greater Caucasus stretches for more than 1,100 km from the northwest to the southeast, from the Anapa region and the Taman Peninsula to Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian coast, near Baku. Max Width The Greater Caucasus reaches in the region of the Elbrus meridian (up to 180 km). In the axial part there is the Main Caucasian (or Dividing) Range, to the north of which a number of parallel ranges extend ( mountain ranges), including a monoclinal (cuest) character (see Greater Caucasus). Southern slope of the Greater Caucasus for the most part consists of echelon-shaped ridges adjacent to the Main Caucasian ridge. Traditionally, the Greater Caucasus is divided into 3 parts: the Western Caucasus (from the Black Sea to Elbrus), the Central Caucasus (from Elbrus to Kazbek) and the Eastern Caucasus (from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea).

Countries and Regions

South Ossetia
Abkhazia
Russia:

Adygea
Dagestan
Ingushetia
Kabardino-Balkaria
Karachay-Cherkessia
Krasnodar region
North Ossetia Alania
Stavropol region
Chechnya

Cities of the Caucasus

Adygeysk
Alagir
Argun
Baksan
Buynaksk
Vladikavkaz
Gagra
Gelendzhik
Grozny
Gudauta
Gudermes
Dagestan lights
Derbent
Dusheti
Essentuki
Zheleznovodsk
Zugdidi
Izberbash
Karabulak
Karachaevsk
Kaspiysk
Kvaisa
Kizilyurt
Kizlyar
Kislovodsk
Kutaisi
Leningor
Magas
Maykop
Malgobek
Makhachkala
Mineral water
Nazran
Nalchik
Nartkala
Nevinnomyssk
Novorossiysk
Ochamchira
Chill
Pyatigorsk
Stavropol
Stepanakert
Sukhum
Urus-Martan
Tbilisi
Terek
Tuapse
Tyrnyauz
Khasavyurt
Tkuarchal
Tskhinvali
Cherkessk
Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk

Climate

The climate in the Caucasus varies both vertically (altitude) and horizontally (latitude and location). The temperature usually decreases with elevation. The average annual temperature in Sukhum, Abkhazia at sea level is 15 degrees Celsius, and on the slopes of the mountains. Kazbek at an altitude of 3700 m, the average annual air temperature drops to -6.1 degrees Celsius. On the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range it is 3 degrees Celsius colder than on the southern slopes. In the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, a sharp temperature contrast between summer and winter is noted due to a more continental climate.

Precipitation increases from east to west in most areas. Altitude plays an important role: the Caucasus and the mountains usually receive more precipitation than the lowlands. Northeast regions(Dagestan) and South part Lesser Caucasus are dry. The absolute minimum of annual precipitation is 250 mm in the northeastern part of the Caspian lowland. West Side The Caucasus is characterized by high rainfall. There is more precipitation on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range than on the northern slopes. Annual precipitation in the western part of the Caucasus ranges from 1000 to 4000 mm, while in the Eastern and North Caucasus (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ossetia, Kakheti, Kartli, etc.) the amount of precipitation ranges from 600 to 1800 mm . The absolute maximum of annual precipitation is 4100 mm in the region of Meskheti and Adjara. The level of precipitation in the Lesser Caucasus (southern Georgia, Armenia, western Azerbaijan), not including Meskhetia, varies from 300 to 800 mm per year.

The Caucasus is famous big amount snowfall, although many regions that are not located along slopes to windward do not receive much snow. This is especially true for the Lesser Caucasus, which is to some extent isolated from the influence of humidity coming from the Black Sea and receives much less precipitation (in the form of snow) than in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus. On average, in winter, snow cover in the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus ranges from 10 to 30 cm. Heavy snowfalls are recorded in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus (in particular, on the southwestern slope). Avalanches are a frequent occurrence from November to April.

Snow cover in some regions (Svaneti, in the northern part of Abkhazia) can reach 5 meters. The Achishkho region is the snowiest place in the Caucasus, the snow cover of which reaches a depth of 7 meters.

Landscape

The Caucasus Mountains have a varied landscape that mostly varies vertically and depends on distance from large bodies of water. The region contains biomes ranging from subtropical low-level swamps and glacier forests (Western and Central Caucasus) to high mountain semi-deserts, steppes and alpine grasslands in the south (mainly Armenia and Azerbaijan).

On the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus for more low altitudes oak, hornbeam, maple and ash are common, and birch and pine forests. Some of the most low areas and slopes are covered with steppes and meadows.

On the slopes of the Northwestern Greater Caucasus (Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, etc.) they also contain spruce and fir forests. In the highland zone (about 2000 meters above sea level), forests predominate. Permafrost (glacier) usually starts at about 2800-3000 meters.

On the southeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus, beech, oak, maple, hornbeam and ash are common. Beech forests tend to dominate high altitudes.

On the southwestern slope of the Greater Caucasus, oak, beech, chestnut, hornbeam and elm are common at lower altitudes, coniferous and mixed forests (spruce, fir and beech) at higher altitudes. Permafrost begins at an altitude of 3000-3500 m.

(Visited 1 238 times, 1 visits today)

The mountains of the Caucasus, born in the collision of the Eurasian and Arabian plates, are like a symbol of the mentality of the peoples living next to them. Proud and tall, they stand as a miraculous wall between the Asian and European parts of our continent on land. Mankind has not decided whether to attribute them to Europe or Asia.

The height of the Caucasus Mountains: 5642 m (Great Caucasus) and 3724 m (Little Caucasus).

The length of the Greater Caucasus: 1100 km. small - 600 km.

Cm. geographical position Caucasus Mountains or where they are located and how they are located on the map. To enlarge the map of the Caucasus Mountains, just click on it.

Not crossed by rivers, the Caucasian ranges are called the watershed line. The mountain system of the Caucasus, the same age as the Alps, with a history of thirty million years, is firmly inscribed in the memory of mankind through biblical lines and Greek myths. It was on one of the mountains of the system that a dove released from noah's ark, on top of Ararat. The legendary Prometheus, who gave fire to people, was chained to one of the Caucasian rocks.

The Caucasus is divided into two parts, which are called the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. The first stretches from Taman almost to Baku and consists of the Western, Central and Eastern Caucasus. One and a half thousand square kilometers of ice, the most high point Eurasia - Elbrus (top of the Caucasus Mountains), an iron mountain, and six mountain peaks, over five thousand kilometers high - this is what the Greater Caucasus is.

The Lesser Caucasus is a mountain range near the Black Sea, with peaks up to four kilometers high.

The Caucasus Mountains are located between the Caspian and the Black Sea coasts and simultaneously on the territory of several countries. These are Russia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The climate of the Caucasus is diverse: from typically maritime in Abkhazia, it changes to sharply continental in Armenia.

The Caucasus is inhabited by unique animals - chamois, mountain goats, wild boars, in especially remote and hard-to-reach places you can meet a leopard or a bear.

Alpine meadow grasses, coniferous forests climbing up from the foothills, turbulent rivers, lakes, waterfalls, springs with mineral water, the cleanest air.

It is thanks to such a successful combination of values for human health that the region has a huge number of sanatoriums and resorts.

Rock climbers are attracted by the royal Elbrus and its neighbors - Shkhara, Kazbek, Dzhangitau, Dykhtau and Koshnantau. Among the snows of the Caucasus there is a place for skiers and snowboarders, lovers of hiking and thrill, adherents of rafting, as well as all those who value their health. Terrenkur, Norwegian walking, rock climbing, river rafting, skiing and many other types active rest offers the Caucasus.

Once having visited the mountains, sung by the "genius of Lermontov", you will remember them for a lifetime.

Video: wild nature Russia 4 of 6 Caucasus mountains.

Video: Hiking in the Caucasus mountains.