Russia is a vast country. It is not surprising that it contains all the terrain reliefs that are only found in nature. Mountain ranges and peaks occupy a special place among the plains and steppes. They attract travelers and explorers, scientists and tourists, archaeologists and climbers. What mountains are there in Russia? What you should pay attention to?
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Origin
Areas of mountainous regions are formed as a result of complex processes. In the crust of the earth tectonic creases, faults and fractures of rocks occur. They are carried out continuously during the entire existence of the planet, in ancient time eras, such as the Paleozoic, Mesozoic or Cenozoic. Those who are in the Far East, Kamchatka and the Kuriles are considered young. Seismic activity and volcanoes erupt frequently in these areas.
In the European part of Russia there is a large plain, which has a geographical border in the east in the form. These are unique natural sculptures that arouse national pride.
Interesting! Only in the Urals is there a natural reserve that protects mineralogy. Ilmensky place has a huge variety of minerals, unique and amazing in their structure and structure.
In the Urals, there are many tourist centers, ski resorts are located on them. Climbers conquer these majestic heights.
Russian mountainous terrain options
- Baikal and Transbaikalia;
- Altai;
- Sayan;
- the Verkhoyansk and Stanovoy ridges;
- Chersky ridge.
Each of the areas is interesting and beautiful, the names of the mountains in their composition are unique and owe their origin to the peoples who inhabit the surrounding territories. These lands beckon with harsh conditions, tests for body and spirit. Altai is one of the most popular tourist destinations. But the Chersky ridge is on the map, but so far it is little studied, but experts assume that it will become an attractive place for travelers.
Variety of territories
The Far East is a region consisting mainly of mountainous terrain. The southern territorial part consists of medium and low, but in the north there are high ridges. The highest point in the Far East - Klyuchevskaya Sopka is a volcano with a height of 4750 m.
The mountains in this region are constantly growing, they are located at the junction of plates, which are in motion, therefore there are many volcanoes. In addition to them, there is a unique object for which it is worth going to Kamchatka - the Valley of Geysers.
Important! Sikhote Alin, located in the Primorye region, is part of the World Heritage Site. This system is rich not only, but also in a variety of flora and fauna. This point of Russia on the map is the birthplace of the Far Eastern leopard and the Amur tiger.
Caucasus
The Caucasus deserves a separate description. This massif stretches from the Black to the Caspian, its length is more than 1200 km. The Caucasian ridge is divided into the Northern part and the Transcaucasia.
The height of the Caucasus Mountains fluctuates along the entire length of the ridge. It is he who has the highest point of the whole country and Europe- this is Elbrus. The mountain was formed as a result of a volcanic eruption. It has an altitude of 5600 m. Elbrus is located in such a place that it can be seen from all sides. Travelers approached him at the beginning of the 19th century. At its peak, the temperature does not rise above -14 degrees. Snow falls on the mountain all the time, which makes its snow cap ideal. This peak feeds the two largest - Kuban and Terek.
In the Greater Caucasus, there are three highest mountains of Russia:
- Elbrus;
- Dykhtau;
- Kazbek.
Interesting! In addition to the Caucasus Mountains, Kamchatka and Altai are famous for large hills, among them: Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Belukha, Ichinskaya Sopka.
10 high mountains
A little more detail about each of the largest hills:
- It is already clear about Elbrus, it is an inactive volcano, which is part of the national park. Its height is 5642 meters.
- Dykhtau is the second largest mountain in the country. This mountain as part of the Caucasian ridge rises to 5200 m. The ascent to this peak was first carried out only in 1888.
- The third largest mountain in the country located on the border of Russia and Georgia. This is Pushkin's peak. It rises next to Dykhtau in the center of the Caucasus ridge. His conquest took place in 1961. It is interesting that this ascent was made not by professionals, but by the footballers of the Spartak club. The height of the peak is 5100 meters.
- Kazbek rises a little lower, namely one hundred meters. It is also related to the Greater Caucasus, located in its lateral part in the Khokh mountain range. Three London climbers conquered this peak in the middle of the 19th century.
- Near the border of Georgia and Kabardino-Balkaria is the fifth highest peak in Russia called Gestola. At its top, glaciers have accumulated that date back to the Paleozoic era. The most famous of them is Adishi.
- The sixth in the top ten is the peak of Shota Rustaveli. Although the name on the map of the peak bears a well-known person of Georgian origin, it still refers to the Russian part of the Caucasus. The peak is on the border, it is not surprising that both countries claim the rights to it... The mountain has 4895 meters.
- Slightly lower (4780 meters) is Mount Dzhimara. It is located in Alania, at the very border of Russia and Georgia. Again, this is part of the Greater Caucasus.
- In ninth place is Mount Sauhokh, again from the Greater Caucasus, located in North Ossetia. The height of the summit is 4636 meters. She belongs to the unconquered peaks, just like Kukurtli-Kolbashi. This mountain completes the list of the ten largest peaks in Russia, its height is 4324 meters.
Interesting! So far, no one has conquered the rock formations that are on the 8th, 9th and 10th places on the list. This can push travelers to new exploits.
Lowest mountains
In addition to the highest mountain peaks, it is interesting to know the rating of the lowest ones. Such a concept as the lowest mountain is very difficult. It turns out that it is not so easy to name it. Only what is higher can be called mountains
Amazingly beautiful mountain landscapes can be seen in these wonderful and unique places in their beauty. The most impressive peaks are the Greater Caucasus Range. This is the territory of the highest and largest in length mountains of the Caucasus region.
The Lesser Caucasus and the valleys (Rion-Kura depression) represent the Transcaucasia in the complex.
Caucasus: general description
The Caucasus is located between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea in southwestern Asia.
This region includes the mountains of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, as well as the depression between them called the Rion-Kura depression, the coasts of the Black and Caspian seas, the Stavropol Upland, a small part of the Caspian Lowland (Dagestan) and the Kuban-Priazovskaya Lowland to the left bank of the Don River on section of its mouth.
The Greater Caucasus Mountains are 1,500 kilometers long, and the highest peak is Elbrus. The length of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains is 750 km.
Below we will take a closer look at the Caucasian ridge.
Geographical position
In the western part, the Caucasus borders on the Black and Azov Seas, in the east - on the Caspian. In the north, the East European plain stretches, and the border between it and the Caucasian foothills repeats the last one runs along the river. Kuma, the bottom of the Kumo-Manychskaya depression, along the Manych and Vostochny Manych rivers, and then along the left bank of the Don.
The southern border of the Caucasus is the Araks river, behind which are the Armenian and Iranian highlands, and the river. Chorokh. And already across the river, the peninsulas of Asia Minor begin.
Caucasian ridge: description
The most daring people and climbers have long chosen the Caucasian mountain range, which attracts extreme lovers from all over the world.
The most important Caucasian ridge divides the entire Caucasus into 2 parts: the Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. This mountain range stretches from the Black Sea to the Caspian coast.
The length of the Caucasian ridge is over 1200 kilometers.
The site, located on the territory of the reserve, is represented by the highest mountain ranges of the Western Caucasus. Moreover, the heights here are the most diverse. Their elevations vary from 260 to more than 3360 meters above sea level.
A wonderful combination of a light mild climate and amazing landscapes make this place ideal for active tourist holidays at any time of the year.
The main Caucasian ridge on the Sochi territory has the largest peaks: Fisht, Khuko, Lysaya, Venets, Grachev, Pseashkho, Chugush, Malaya Chura and Assara.
The composition of the ridge rocks: limestones and marls. There used to be an ocean floor here. Throughout the vast massif, one can observe a strongly pronounced folding with numerous glaciers, turbulent rivers and mountain lakes.
About the height of the Caucasian ridge
The peaks of the Caucasian ridge are numerous and quite varied in height.
Elbrus is the highest peak of the Caucasus, which is the highest peak not only in Russia, but also in Europe. The location of the mountain is such that a variety of nationalities live around it, which gave it their unique names: Oshkhomakho, Alberis, Yalbuz and Mingitau.
The most important mountain in the Caucasus ranks fifth on Earth among the mountains that were formed in a similar way (as a result of a volcanic eruption).
The height of the most gigantic peak in Russia is five kilometers six hundred and forty-two meters.
Learn more about the highest peak of the Caucasus
The highest elevation of the Caucasian ridge is Russia. It looks like two cones, between which (distance 3 km from each other) there is a saddle at an altitude of 5200 meters. The highest of them, as already noted, has a height of 5642 meters, the smaller one - 5621 meters.
Like all peaks of volcanic origin, Elbrus consists of 2 parts: a 700-meter pedestal of rocks and a bulk cone (1942 meters) - the result of a volcanic eruption.
The summit is covered with snow starting from an altitude of about 3500 meters. In addition, there are glaciers, the most famous of which are Small and Big Azau and Terskop.
The temperature at the highest point of Elbrus is -14 ° С. Precipitation here almost always falls in the form of snow and therefore the glaciers do not melt. Due to the good visibility of the Elbrus peaks from different remote places and at different times of the year, this mountain also has an interesting name - Little Antarctica.
It should be noted that for the first time the eastern peak was conquered by climbers in 1829, and the western one in 1874.
The glaciers at the top of Elbrus feed the Kuban, Malka and Baksan rivers.
Central Caucasus: ridges, parameters
Geographically, the Central Caucasus is part of the Greater Caucasus, located between the Elbrus and Kazbek mountains (in the west and in the east). In this section, the length of the Main Caucasian ridge is 190 kilometers, and if we take into account the meanders, it is about 260 km.
The border of the Russian state runs through the territory of the Central Caucasus. South Ossetia and Georgia are behind it.
22 kilometers west of Kazbek (eastern part of the Central Caucasus), the Russian border shifts slightly to the north and runs to Kazbek, skirting the Terek River valley (upper part) belonging to Georgia.
On the territory of the Central Caucasus, there are 5 parallel ridges (oriented along latitudes):
- Main Caucasian ridge (height up to 5203 m, Mount Shkhara).
- Lateral ridge (height up to 5642 meters, Mount Elbrus).
- Skalisty ridge (height up to 3646 meters, Karakaya mountain).
- Pasture ridge (up to 1541 meters).
- Lesisty ridge (height 900 meters).
Tourists and climbers mainly visit and climb the first three ridges.
North and South Caucasus
The Greater Caucasus, as a geographic object, originates from the Taman Peninsula, and ends in the region. All the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the countries located in this region belong to the Caucasus. However, in terms of the location of the territories of the constituent entities of Russia, there is a certain division into two parts:
- The North Caucasus includes the Krasnodar Territory and Stavropol Territory, North Ossetia, Rostov Region, Chechnya, the Republic of Adygea, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan and Karachay-Cherkessia.
- South Caucasus (or Transcaucasia) - Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan.
Elbrus
The Elbrus region is geographically the westernmost part of the Central Caucasus. Its territory covers the upper reaches of the Baksan River with its tributaries, an area north of Elbrus and the western spurs of Mount Elbrus to the right bank of the Kuban. The largest peak in this area is the famous Elbrus standing to the north and located in the Side Ridge. The second highest peak is (4700 meters).
The Elbrus region is famous for a large number of peaks with steep ridges and rocky walls.
The largest glaciers are concentrated in the huge Elbrus glacier complex, numbering 23 glaciers (total area - 122.6 sq. Km).
Location of states in the Caucasus
- The Russian Federation partially occupies the territory of the Greater Caucasus and its foothills from the Vodorazdelny and Main Caucasian ridges to the north. 10% of the total population of the country lives in the North Caucasus.
- Abkhazia also has territories that are parts of the Greater Caucasus: the region from the Kodori to Gagra ridges, the Black Sea coast between the r. Psou and Inguri, and north of Inguri a small part of the Kolkhida lowland.
- South Ossetia is located in the central region of the Greater Caucasus. The beginning of the territory is the Main Caucasian Ridge. The territory extends in a southern direction from it, between the Rachinsky, Suramsky and Lomissky ridges, to the very valley of the Kura river.
- Georgia has the most fertile and populated parts of the country in the valleys and lowlands between the Lesser and Greater Caucasus ranges to the west of the Kakheti ridge. The most mountainous areas of the country are Svaneti, a section of the Greater Caucasus between the Kodori and Suram ranges. The Georgian territory of the Lesser Caucasus is represented by the Meskheti, Samsar and Trialeti ranges. It turns out that all of Georgia is within the Caucasus.
- Azerbaijan is located between the Dividing Range in the north and the Araks and Kura rivers in the south, and between the Lesser Caucasus and the Kakheti Range and the Caspian Sea. And almost all of Azerbaijan (the Mugan Plain and Talysh Mountains belong to the Iranian Highlands) is located in the Caucasus.
- Armenia has a part of the territory of the Lesser Caucasus (just east of the Akhuryan River, which is a tributary of the Araks).
- Turkey occupies the southwestern part of the Lesser Caucasus, representing 4 eastern provinces of this country: Ardahan, Kars, partially Erzurum and Artvin.
The mountains of the Caucasus are both beautiful and dangerous. According to the assumptions of some scientists, there is a possibility that the volcano (Mount Elbrus) may wake up in the next hundred years. And this is fraught with catastrophic consequences for the neighboring regions (Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria).
But, whatever that may be, the conclusion follows that there is nothing more beautiful than mountains. It is impossible to describe all the magnificent nature of this fabulous mountainous country. To experience all this, you should visit these amazingly beautiful paradise places. They are especially impressive from the heights of the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains.
Caucasus mountains
The Caucasus Mountains are located on the isthmus between the Caspian and Black Seas. The Kumo-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. Only the Ciscaucasia and the northern part of the Greater Caucasus are located on the territory of the Russian Federation. The last two parts are collectively referred to as the North Caucasus. However, for Russia, this part of the territory is the southernmost. Here, along the ridge of the Main Ridge, lies the state border of the Russian Federation, beyond which Georgia and Azerbaijan lie. The entire system of the Caucasus Range covers an area of approximately 2600 m2, with the northern slope occupying about 1450 m2, while the southern slope is only about 1150 m2.
The North Caucasus Mountains are relatively young. Their relief was created by different tectonic structures. In the southern part there are folded-block mountains and foothills of the Greater Caucasus. They were formed when the zones of deep depression were filled with sedimentary and volcanic rocks, which later underwent folding. Tectonic processes here were accompanied by significant bends, extensions, ruptures and faults of the earth's strata. As a result, a large amount of magma was poured onto the surface (this led to the formation of significant ore deposits). The uplifts that took place here in the Neogene and Quaternary periods led to the rise of the surface and the type of relief that exists today. The uplift of the central part of the Greater Caucasus was accompanied by the subsidence of strata along the edges of the ridge being formed. So in the east, the Terek-Caspian trough was formed, and in the west, the Indalo-Kuban.
The Greater Caucasus is often presented as the only ridge. In fact, this is a whole system of various ridges, which can be divided into several parts. The Western Caucasus is located from the Black Sea coast to Mount Elbrus, further (from Elbrus to Kazbek) follows the Central Caucasus, and to the east from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea - the Eastern Caucasus. In addition, in the longitudinal direction, two ridges can be distinguished: Vodorazdelny (sometimes called the main one) and Lateral. On the northern slope of the Caucasus, the Rocky and Pasture ridges are distinguished, as well as the Black Mountains. They were formed as a result of alternating layers composed of sedimentary rocks of different hardness. One slope of the ridge is gentle here, while the other breaks off rather abruptly. With increasing distance 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, these are more likely not even mountains, but hills. They begin to rise to the east. The highest parts of the North Caucasus are covered with snow caps and glaciers. The highest peaks of the western Caucasus are the Fisht (2870 meters) and Oshten (2810 meters) mountains. The highest part of the Greater Caucasus mountain system is the Central Caucasus. Even some passes at this point reach a height of 3 thousand meters, and the lowest of them (Krestovy) lies at an altitude of 2380 meters. The highest peaks of the Caucasus are also located here. For example, the height of Mount Kazbek is 5033 meters, and the two-headed extinct volcano Elbrus is the highest peak in Russia.
The relief here is highly dissected: sharp ridges, steep slopes and rocky peaks prevail. The eastern part of the Greater Caucasus is made up mainly of the numerous ridges of Dagestan (translated, the name of this region means "mountainous country"). Complex branching ridges with steep slopes and deep canyon-like river valleys are located here. 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 rise of the Caucasus Mountains continues in our time. Quite frequent earthquakes in this region of Russia are associated with this. To the north of the Central Caucasus, where the magma rising along the cracks did not pour out to the surface, low, so-called island mountains were formed. The largest of them are Beshtau (1400 meters) and Mashuk (993 meters). At their base there are numerous springs of mineral waters.
The so-called Ciscaucasia is occupied by the Prikubanskaya and Tersko-Kumskaya lowlands. They are separated from each other by the Stavropol Upland, which is 700-800 meters high. The Stavropol Upland is dissected by wide and deeply incised valleys, gullies and ravines. A young slab lies at the base of this section. 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 climatic regime in this area is quite favorable. Quite high mountains serve as a good barrier to cold air penetrating here. The proximity of the long cooling sea also affects. The Greater Caucasus is the border between two climatic zones - subtropical and temperate. On the Russian territory, the climate is still moderate, but the above factors contribute to rather high temperatures.
The mountains of the Caucasus As a result of the winter in the Ciscaucasia, they are quite warm (the 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 (the average January temperature is 3 ° C). Temperatures are naturally lower in mountainous areas. Thus, the average temperature on the plain in summer is about 25 ° C, and in the upper reaches of the mountains - 0 ° C. Precipitation falls on this territory mainly due to cyclones coming from the west, as a result of which their amount gradually decreases to the east.
Most of the precipitation falls on the southwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. Their number on the Prikubanskaya plain is about 7 times lower. Glaciation is developed in the mountains of the North Caucasus, in terms of the area of which this region ranks first among all regions of Russia. The rivers flowing here are fed by water formed by 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 areas overgrown with reeds and reeds.
Greater Caucasus- mountain system between the Black and Caspian Seas. It stretches for more than 1,100 km from northwest to southeast, from the Anapa region and the Taman peninsula to the Absheron peninsula on the Caspian coast, near Baku. The highest peak is Elbrus (5642 m).
The state border of the Russian Federation with Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia and Azerbaijan passes through the Greater Caucasus.
Scheme of the ridges of the Greater Caucasus. Volcanoes are marked with red circles.
The Greater Caucasus, together with the Lesser Caucasus, makes up the Caucasus Mountains and is separated from the latter by the Colchis and Kura-Araks lowlands and the Kura valley in the middle course between them.
The Greater Caucasus reaches its maximum width in the Elbrus region (up to 180 km). In the axial part there is the Main Caucasian (or Vodorazdelny) ridge, to the north of which there are a number of parallel ridges (mountain ranges) - the Lateral ridge, the Skalisty ridge, etc.
Parts and Areas
View from Ushba to Elbrus. Photo by O. Fomichev.
Traditionally, the Greater Caucasus is divided into 3 parts:
Table 1. The peaks of the Caucasus are higher than 4700 m (the height is shown in bold on a topographic map at a scale of 1: 50,000).
| N | Summit name | Height | Part of BC | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elbrus | 5642 | Central | Elbrus |
| 2 | Dykhtau | 5205 | Central | Bezengi |
| 3 | Shkhara | 5203 | Central | Bezengi |
| 4 | Koshtantau | 5152 | Central | Bezengi |
| 5 | Dzhangitau | 5085 | Central | Bezengi |
| 6 | Kazbek | 5034 | Central | Prikazbech |
| 7 | Mizhirgi | 5019 | Central | Bezengi |
| 8 | Katyntau | 4979 | Central | Bezengi |
| 9 | Gestola | 4860 | Central | Bezengi |
| 10 | Tetnuld | 4858 | Central | Bezengi |
| 11 | Jimarayhoh | 4780 | Central | Tepli-Dzhimaraisky |
| 12 | Ushba | 4700 | Central | Elbrus |
Climate
Rest in the Adish Icefall. Photo by A. Lebedev (1989)
The climatic features of the Greater Caucasus are determined by the altitudinal zonality and the rotation of the mountain barrier formed by it at a certain angle to the western moisture-bearing air currents - Atlantic cyclones and the Mediterranean western air currents of the middle troposphere. This turn has a decisive influence on the distribution of precipitation.
The wettest is the western part of the southern slope, where more than 2500 mm of precipitation falls in the highlands per year. The record amount of precipitation falls on the Achishkho ridge in the Krasnaya Polyana region - 3200 mm per year, this is the wettest place in Russia. Winter snow cover in the area of the Achishkho meteorological station reaches 5-7 meters in height!
| N | Glacier name | Length km | Area sq. Km | End height | Firn line height | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bezengi | 17.6 | 36.2 | 2080 | 3600 | Bezengi |
| 2 | Karaug | 13.3 | 34.0 | 2070 | 3300 | Karaug |
| 3 | Dykh-Su | 13.3 | 26.6 | 1830 | 3440 | Bezengi |
| 4 | Lekzyr | 11.8 | 33.7 | 2020 | 3090 | Elbrus |
| 5 | Big Azau | 10.2 | 19.6 | 2480 | 3800 | Elbrus |
| 6 | Zanner | 10.1 | 28.8 | 2390 | 3190 | Bezengi |
Glaciation is especially significant in the Central Caucasus and in the eastern part of the Western Caucasus. In the Eastern Caucasus, small glaciers are found only in individual high mountain ranges.