The Western Caucasus has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site based upon its diversity of geology, ecosystems and species. It is recognized as the "only large mountain area in Europe that has not experienced significant human impact,containing extensive tracts of undisturbed mountain forests unique on the European scale."
Geology
The Caucasus Mountains formed ca. 28.49–23.8 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 Himalayas, which are being pressed upwards by a similar collision 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 (although stratovolcanoes such as Mount Elbrus, Mount Kazbek and others 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.
Mountain systems within the Caucasus range
The Caucasus Mountains are made up of two separate ranges, the Greater Caucasus in the north and the Lesser Caucasus in the south. In addition, some sources recognize a Middle Caucasus Range.The Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges are connected by the Likhi Range (Middle Range), which separates the Kolkhida Lowland from the Kura Depression (Kura Lowland). In the southeast are the Talysh Mountains. The Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Highland constitute the Transcaucasian Highland.
Greater Caucasus
The Greater Caucasus is the major mountain range of Caucasus Mountains system. It stretches from west-northwest to east-southeast between the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea: from the Caucasian Natural Reserve in the vicinity of Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea and reaching nearly to Baku on the Caspian.
This range is traditionally separated into three parts:
* Western Caucasus, from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus
* Central Caucasus, from Mount Elbrus to Mount Kazbek
* Eastern Caucasus, from Mount Kazbek to the Caspian Sea
The border of Russia with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs along the most of its length. The Georgian Military Road (Darial Gorge), Ossetian Military Road, and Trans-Caucasus Highway traverse this mountain range at an altitudes of up to 3000 meters.
The Western Caucasus has been designated a World Heritage Site under the criteria that "it is the only large mountain area in Europe that has not experienced significant human impact, containing extensive tracts of undisturbed mountain forests unique on the European scale."
Lesser Caucasus
The Lesser Caucasus is the second of the two main mountain ranges forming the Caucasus. It runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus, at a distance averaging about 100 km (60 mi) south and limits the Armenian Highland from the north and northeast.It is connected to the Greater Caucasus by the Likh Range (Suram Range) and separated from it by the Kolkhida Lowland in the west and Kura Depression (by Kura River) in the east.The borders of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran run through the range, although its crest does not usually define the border.
Geographical affiliation
There is no clear agreement on whether the Caucasus Mountains are a part of Europe or Asia. Depending on the varying perspectives, Europe's highest mountain is either Mount Elbrus 5,642 m (18,510.5 ft) or Mont Blanc in the Alps, at the Italian-French border,with a height of 4,810 m (15,780.8 ft).
The Caucasus Mountains are located in the middle of the Eurasian plate between Europe and Asia.Because the plate is geologically stable in this region, it is hard to determine the exact course of the continental borderline.Therefore, throughout history the borderline has changed from one place to another. The ancient Greeks saw the Bosporus 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, Bosporus and the river Don divided the two continents.The border was historically defined by the Swedish military officer and geographer Philip Johan von Strahlenberg, who suggested the border 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 that time has been adopted by many scientists. Following this definition, the mountains are a part of Asia and according to this view, the highest European mountain is Mont Blanc.On the other hand, La Grande Encyclopédie clearly draws the border between Europe and Asia south of both Caucasian mountain ranges. Both Elbrus and Kazbek are here European mountains.In political terms, the present-day division is either considered to be between Russia (Europe) on one side and Georgia,Armenia and Azerbaijan (Asia) on the other, inclusive of Georgia and Azerbaijan within Europe but not Armenia, or inclusive of all three nations.
credited to new world encyclopedia and flickr:w0w
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