Main Caucasian Range

The mountain system of the Caucasus in Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. A continuous mountain range extending from west-northwest to east-southeast between the Chyorny and Caspian Seas for almost 1200 km, expanding from 30 to 180 km. Along the watershed of the Greater Caucasus, the border between Europe and Asia is usually drawn.

The highest point of the Caucasus, Russia and Europe is Mount Elbrus (5642 m).

In the north, the Main Caucasian Range borders on the Kuban-Priazovskaya and Tersk-Kum lowlands and the Stavropol Upland, in the south it is separated by the Kolkhida Lowland and the Kurin Depression.

The Greater Caucasus is divided into the Western (from the Taman Peninsula to Mount Elbrus), Central (between the Elbrus and Kazbek mountains) and East Caucasus (from Mount Kazbek to the Absheron Peninsula).

The highest altitude is 5,068 meters

Greater Caucasus Ranges

The main Caucasian Range is an asymmetric mountain system with long gentle northern and short steep southern slopes. In the axial part, the Main, or Watershed, ridge and the Side ridge with a height of more than 4000-5000 meters (7 peaks above 5000 meters) stretch. The ridges are steep, strongly and deeply divided with alpine glacial and paleoglacial relief in the upper parts. The highest and rocky section of the Main, or Dividing, ridge is the Bezengi Wall. Volcanic cones rise in the Side Ridge - Elbrus (5642 meters) and Kazbek (5033 meters). To the north, in the Western and Central Caucasus, there are mid-mountain and low-mountain structural-denudation monocline ridges of the cuest type: Rocky (height up to 2000-2500 meters), Pastoral (up to 1500 meters), Wooded (up to 800 meters) with steep southern slopes. In the east, the complex and diverse relief of Dagestan is dominated by plateaus, for example Gunib and folded ridges.

For most of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, short erosion-denudation ridges are typical, composed mainly of limestones. In the West Caucasus - Kodorsky, Svanetsky, Rachinsky and other (height up to 4000 m) ridges. In the East Caucasus, the southern slope is very narrow and steep with deep river valleys and large carry cones.

In the relief of the Greater Caucasus, there are many forms associated with active exogenous processes, including catastrophic ones. In the highlands - avalanche, mudflows, permafrost; in the middle mountains - landslide-crayfish, landslide, in the low mountains - erosion. Karst is developed in carbonate rocks, especially on the southern slope. In Russia, the most famous are the Vorontsov Cave, in Abkhazia - the New Athos Cave and the Snow Abyss. Abrasion and landslides (including seismic landslides) are active on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Mud volcanoes are typical in the eastern edge parts of the Main Caucasus Range.

Climate

The main Caucasian ridge is an important climatic barrier on the path of cold air masses from the north and warm from the south, moisture-bearing air masses from the west and dry from the east. The diversity and contrast of climates are due to the position on the border of the temperate and subtropical climatic zones, the sub-latitudinal strike of the mountain system, high heights, the exposure of slopes and the variety of terrain. In the highlands, the climate is cold and humid, in the middle mountains and low mountains - moderate, in the lower parts of the southern slope of the Western Caucasus - subtropical humid, northwest of Tuapse - Mediterranean, in the East Caucasus - subtropical dry. The average annual temperature at the foot of the northern slope is 10 ° C, at the southern 16 ° C, above 2400-2800 meters - negative, at an altitude of 4250 meters drops to -10.2 ° C. Exposure differences are better expressed in winter. The average January temperature at the foot varies from -3.5 and -5 ° C in the north to 6 ° C in the south, at an altitude of 2000 meters about -8 ° C; in the highlands (4250 meters, Elbrus weather station) -19 ° С. The average July temperature at the foot rises from 22-24 ° C in the west to 25-27 ° C in the east, the temperature of August (the warmest month) decreases in the middle mountains to 10-13 ° C, in the highlands to 1 ° C.

Along the foot of the northern slope, precipitation falls from 400-600 mm in the west to 300-400 mm in the east, at altitudes of more than 2000 meters, respectively, from 2000-2500 mm to 800-1150 mm. Dry (300-500 mm) is distinguished by intermountain basins and the southern slopes of ridges located in the "rain shadow." The most humidified southwestern slopes are up to 3500 mm (3682 mm, Achishkho weather station at an altitude of 1880 meters, the wettest place in Russia). Along the foot of the southern slope, rainfall increases per year from west to east from 500-800 mm to 1200-1600 mm in the center, and decreases to 200 mm in the extreme east.

The snow border rises to the east from 2500 meters to 3600 meters. In the highlands, powerful modern glaciation is developed (2050 glaciers, with an area of ​ ​ 1426 km2); 70% - on the northern slope. Just over half of the glaciers are concentrated in the Central Caucasus; the largest - Bezengi (17.6 km - one of the longest glaciers in Russia), Dykhsu, Karaug, Lekziri, etc. A large center of glaciation is Mount Elbrus (area 124.9 km2, 2005). Pulsating glaciers are peculiar - Devdorak, Kolka, known for periodic, including catastrophic, movements and gatherings (the latter occurred in Russia, in the Karmadon Gorge, Kolka Glacier, 2002).

Water resources

The rivers belong to the basins of the Chyorny (Mzymta, Bzyb, Rioni, Inguri, etc.), Caspian (Kura, Terek, Kuma, etc.) and Azovsky (Kuban) seas. The density of the river network is uneven, most developed in the west, especially on the southern slope, in the highlands and mid-mountains. Mountain rivers with a high flow rate (do not freeze in winter), with sharp fluctuations in runoff (winter low water), rapids and waterfalls. Often flow along picturesque canyon-like gorges. The annual flow of rivers is 79 km3, including 29.6 km3 on the northern slope, and 49.4 km3 on the southern slope. River flow decreases from west to east and with a decrease in height. River nutrition is mainly mixed with flood in the warm period of the year, in the west often with floods. Many rivers are selenary. The transport significance of the rivers is small, in the lower reaches navigable Kura, Rioni, Kuban. A large number of rivers are used for irrigation, hydroelectric power stations were built (Baksanskaya, Gizeldon, Inguri hydroelectric power plants, etc.).

There are many lakes of various origins in the Great Caucasus: glacial (Baduk, Klukhorskoye in the river basin Teberda, Bashkara in the river basin Baksan, etc.), karst (Blue in the valley of the river Cherek, etc.), tectonic - Abrau and Ritsa (one of the most picturesque). The lakes are small in area, but deep enough.

Landscapes

The Main Caucasus Range is characterized by various landscapes with the dominance of mountain-forest and mountain-meadow. Altitude zonation is clearly manifested, which varies depending on the exposure of macrosclones and longitude. The greatest differences in the structure of the altitudinal zonation are characteristic of the lower parts of the slopes. On the northern slope of the Western Caucasus in the foothills, small areas occupy steppe landscapes on chernozems (up to 450-500 meters), replaced by forest-steppe areas with meadow steppes on chernozems and oak forests on gray forest soils; above (600-800 meters) - mountain-forest landscapes with low-mountain broadleaf (oak and hornbeam-oak) and medium-mountain (beech) forests on shrews and sod-carbonate soils; at an altitude of 1300-1600 meters - mixed and coniferous (beech-spruce and spruce-fir) forests on shrews and podzolic soils. At the upper border of the forest (2000-2300 meters), a belt of birch, less often beech and maple, crooked forests is developed. Mountain-meadow landscapes are typical for highlands: tallgrass subalpine (with thickets of Caucasian rhododendron) on turf soils and alpine low-grass meadows (at an altitude of 2500 meters) on alfegumus soils. Above them is a subnival belt with fragmentary vegetation on primitive soils. Above 3300 meters - glacial-nival landscapes. On the southern slope of the Western Caucasus, the structure of high-rise belts is similar, only in the foothills up to a height of 600 meters subtropical broad-leaved forests of the Colchis type are formed, polydominant (from chestnut, oak of Georgia and Hartvis, beech) with evergreen undergrowth (holly, rhododendron Pontic, laurel, boxwood) and lyans (Colchis ivy) on yellow trees, less often red trees; sod-carbonate soils are common. Of the coniferous species, berry yew is found. Northwest of Tuapse - Mediterranean forests (fluffy oak, false pistachio, high juniper) and shrubs on sod-carbonate and brown soils. On the northern slope of the East Caucasus, dry-steppe landscapes prevail in the lower parts, with shiblyak and frigana on chestnut soils, less often brown, at an altitude of 800-2000 meters - low-mountain and middle-mountain steppe and meadow-steppe landscapes on chernozems. The mountain-forest zone with pine forests is fragmented. On the slopes facing the Caspian Sea, at an altitude of 600-1200 meters, there are sections of broad-leaved forests (with oak, hornbeam) on shrews. For highlands, mountain meadows with xerophytic elements on turf and alfegumus soils are typical. The glacial-nival zone begins higher (3800-3900 meters) than in the Western Caucasus. On the southern slope of the East Caucasus in the extreme east, foothill semi-deserts are developed, at an altitude of about 300 meters - low-altitude arid woodlands and thickets of shiblyak on brown soils, in the middle mountains - broad-leaved forests (from oak of eastern and Georgian, hornbeam, beech) with the participation of Hyrkan relict species (majestic maple, danaya shrub) on shrews; above are mountain-meadow landscapes with subalpine and alpine meadows on alfegumus soils; in some places - glacial-nival landscapes.

There are many rare and relict species in the diverse flora and fauna of the Greater Caucasus, including up to 30% endemic to the plant world. Among the animals endemic are the Caucasian tour, ular, black grouse, promethean vole, etc. Typical forest species are wild boar, brown bear, fox, dormouse-shelf. The population of the bison that previously lived here has been restored. Sulfur, tours, alpine jackdaw, snow vole, etc., are common in the highlands.

The landscapes of the Main Caucasus Range are changed by man, especially foothill and low-mountain steppe and subtropical forest. The landscapes of the East Caucasus are severely disrupted. Picturesque mountain and seaside landscapes are attractive for recreation, highlands - for skiing and mountaineering (Elbrus region, Dombai, Arkhyz, Krasnaya Polyana, etc.). The Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is an area of ​ ​ popular climatic (Anapa, Gelendzhik, Sochi, etc.) and balneological (Matsesta) resorts.

Protected Natural Areas

To protect typical and unique natural landscapes, reserves have been created, the most famous are Caucasian and Teberdinsky (both biospheric), Kabardino-Balkarian (all in Russia), Lagodekhsky (one of the first in the Caucasus, 1912) and Ritsinsky (both in Georgia), etc. National parks - Sochi, Elbrus (both in Russia), etc. Among the natural monuments is the karst massif "Stone Sea" (Lagonaki Plateau, Zap. Caucasus). The Caucasus Reserve, Sochi National Park and dreubt territories are included in the World Heritage List.