Caucasus Mountains

The Caucasus Mountains form a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe, stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. This range is surrounded by the Caucasus region and contains Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe. The mountains are divided into the Greater Caucasus in the north and the Lesser Caucasus in the south. The Greater Caucasus runs from the Western Caucasus near the Black Sea to near Baku on the Caspian Sea, while the Lesser Caucasus runs parallel about one hundred kilometers south. These two ranges are connected by the Likhi Range, with the Colchis Plain to the west and the Kur-Araz Lowland to the east. The Meskheti Range is part of the Lesser Caucasus system. In the southeast, the Aras River separates the Lesser Caucasus from the Talysh Mountains. The Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Highland form the Transcaucasian Highland, which converges with the highland plateau of Eastern Anatolia. The Caucasus Mountains were part of the Silk Road.

Geologically, the range belongs to the Alpide belt system. The Greater Caucasus consists mainly of Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks, with Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks at higher elevations, and some volcanic formations. The Lesser Caucasus is formed predominantly of Paleogene rocks. The mountains formed from a tectonic collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates, which folded Jurassic to Miocene rocks into the Greater Caucasus and caused volcanic activity in the Lesser Caucasus. The region experiences strong earthquakes, including the devastating 1988 Spitak earthquake in Armenia. The Javakheti Volcanic Plateau and surrounding ranges are among the youngest features, with Elbrus and Kazbek formed as Pleistocene-Pliocene volcanoes. Elbrus has erupted in postglacial times and shows fumarole activity near its summit.

The climate varies by elevation and latitude. Average annual temperature at sea level in Sokhumi is much higher than on the slopes of Mount Kazbek. Northern slopes are colder than southern slopes. The Lesser Caucasus highlands have sharp seasonal temperature contrasts due to a continental climate. Precipitation increases from east to west, with mountains receiving more than lowlands. The northeastern Dagestan region and southern Lesser Caucasus are driest, while western areas receive high precipitation.