What parts are the Caucasian mountains divided into. Main Caucasian Range: description, parameters, peaks

Our planet has the most beautiful mountain system. It is located on, or to be more precise, between two seas - the Caspian and the Black. It bears a proud name - the Caucasus Mountains. It has coordinates: 42°30′ north latitude and 45°00′ east longitude. The length of the mountain system is more than one thousand kilometers. Geographically, it belongs to six countries: Russia and the states of the Caucasus region: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, etc.

Until now, it has not been clearly stated which part of the mainland the Caucasus Mountains belong to. Elbrus and Mont Blanc are fighting for the title of the most. The latter is in the Alps. Geographical position plan is easy to describe. And this article will help you.

Borders

At times Ancient Greece it was the Caucasus and the Bosphorus that separated the 2 continents. But the map of the world was constantly changing, peoples migrated. In the Middle Ages, the Don River was considered the border. Much later, in the 17th century, a Swedish geographer led her through the Urals, down the river. Embe to the Caspian Sea. His idea was supported by the scientists of that time and the Russian Tsar. According to this definition, mountains belong to Asia. On the other hand, in the Great Encyclopedia of Larousse, the border is designated south of Kazbek and Elbrus. Thus, both mountains are in Europe.

It is somewhat difficult to describe the geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains as accurately as possible. The opinion regarding territorial affiliation changed solely for political reasons. Europe was singled out as a special part of the world, linking this with the level of development of civilization. The border between the continents gradually shifted to the east. She became a moving line.

Some scholars, noting differences in geological structure array, it is proposed to draw a boundary along the main ridge Greater Caucasus. And this is not surprising. mountains allow it. Its northern slope will refer to Europe, and the southern slope to Asia. This issue is being actively discussed by scientists from all six states. The geographers of Azerbaijan and Armenia believe that the Caucasus belongs to Asia, and the scientists of Georgia - to Europe. Many well-known authoritative people believe that the entire massif belongs to Asia, so Elbrus will not be considered the highest point in Europe for a long time.

System Composition

This massif consists of 2 mountain systems: the Lesser and Greater Caucasus. Often the latter is presented as a single ridge, but this is not so. And if you study the geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains on the map, you will notice that it does not belong to those. The Greater Caucasus stretches for more than a kilometer from Anapa and the Taman Peninsula almost to Baku itself. Conventionally, it consists of the following parts: Western, Eastern and Central Caucasus. The first zone extends from the Black Sea to Elbrus, the middle one - from the highest peak to Kazbek, the last - from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea.

The western chains originate from the Taman Peninsula. And at first they look more like hills. However, the farther to the east, the higher they become. Their peaks are covered with snow and glaciers. The ranges of Dagestan are located in the east of the Greater Caucasus. These are complex systems with river valleys forming canyons. About 1.5 thousand square meters. km of the territory of the Greater Caucasus is covered with glaciers. Most of them are in the central region. The Lesser Caucasus includes nine ranges: Adjaro-Imeretinsky, Karabakh, Bazum and others. The highest of them, located in the middle and eastern parts, are Murov-Dag, Pambaksky, etc.

Climate

Analyzing the geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains, we see that they are located on the border of two climatic zones- subtropical and temperate. Transcaucasia belongs to the subtropics. The rest of the territory belongs to the temperate zone. The North Caucasus is a warm region. Summer there lasts almost 5 months, and in winter it never falls below -6 °C. It is short - 2-3 months. The climate is different in the highlands. There it is influenced by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, so the weather is more humid.

Due to the complex relief in the Caucasus, there are many zones that differ from each other. This climate allows the cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, cotton and other exotic crops that are suited to the temperate nature of weather conditions. The geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains largely affects the formation of the temperature regime in the surrounding areas.

Himalayas and Caucasus mountains

Often at school, students are asked to compare the geographical location of the Himalayas and the similarity in only one thing: both systems are in Eurasia. However, they have many differences:

• The Caucasus Mountains are located on the Himalayas, but they belong only to Asia.
• The average height of the Caucasus Mountains is 4 thousand meters, the Himalayas - 5 thousand meters.
• Also, these mountain systems are located in different climatic zones. The Himalayas are mostly in the subequatorial, less - in the tropics, and the Caucasus - in the subtropical and temperate.

As you can see, these two systems are not identical. The geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains and the Himalayas is at some points similar, at others not. But both systems are quite large, beautiful, amazing.

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 1100 km from the northwest to the southeast, from the Anapa region and the Taman Peninsula to the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian coast, near Baku. The Greater Caucasus reaches its maximum width in the region of the Elbrus meridian (up to 180 km). In the axial part is located the Main Caucasian (or Dividing) Range, to the north of which a number of parallel ranges (mountain ranges) extend, including a monoclinal (kuest) character (see Greater Caucasus). The southern slope of the Greater Caucasus mostly 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).

The most famous peaks - Mt. Elbrus (5642 m) and Mt. Kazbek (5033 m) are covered with eternal snow and glaciers. The Greater Caucasus is a region with a large modern glaciation. The total number of glaciers is about 2050, their area is approximately 1400 km 2 . More than half of the glaciation of the Greater Caucasus is concentrated in the Central Caucasus (50% of the number and 70% of the glaciation area). major centers glaciations are Mount Elbrus and the Bezengi wall (with the Bezengi glacier, 17 km). From the northern foot of the Greater Caucasus to the Kuma-Manych depression, Ciscaucasia extends with vast plains and uplands. To the south of the Greater Caucasus are the Colchis and Kura-Araks lowlands, the Inner Kartli plain and the Alazan-Avtoran valley [the Kura depression, within which the Alazan-Avtoran valley and the Kura-Araks lowland are located]. In the southeastern part of the Caucasus - the Talysh mountains (up to 2477 m high) with the adjacent Lankaran lowland. In the middle and in the west of the southern part of the Caucasus is the Transcaucasian Highlands, which consists of the ranges of the Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Highlands (Aragats, 4090 m). The Lesser Caucasus is connected to the Greater Caucasus by the Likhi Ridge, in the west it is separated from it by the Colchis Lowland, in the east by the Kura Depression. The length is about 600 km, the height is up to 3724 m. The mountains near Sochi - Achishkho, Aibga, Chigush (Chugush, 3238 m), Pseashkho and others (Krasnaya Polyana resort area) - will host participants in winter Olympic Games 2014.

Geology The Caucasus are folded mountains with some volcanic activity that formed as the Alps during the Tertiary Period (approximately 28.49-23.8 million years ago). The mountains are composed of, among other things, granite and gneiss, and contain deposits of oil and natural gas. Estimated reserves: up to 200 billion barrels oil. (By comparison, Saudi Arabia, the country with the world's largest oil reserves, is estimated at 260 billion barrels.) From a geophysical point of view, the Caucasus forms a wide warp zone that is part of a continental plate collision belt from the Alps to the Himalayas. The architectonics of the region was formed by the movement of the Arabian Plate to the north to the Eurasian Plate. Pressed by the African Plate, it moves every year by about a few centimeters. Therefore, at the end of the 20th century, large earthquakes with an intensity of 6.5 to 7 points occurred in the Caucasus, which had catastrophic consequences for the population and economy in the region. More than 25 thousand people died in Spitak in Armenia on December 7, 1988, about 20 thousand were injured and about 515 thousand were left homeless. The Greater Caucasus is a grandiose folded mountainous region that occurred on the site of the Mesozoic geosyncline due to Alpine folding. Precambrian, Paleozoic and Triassic rocks lie in its core, which are successively surrounded by Jurassic, Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene deposits. In the middle part of the Caucasus, ancient rocks come to the surface.

Geographical affiliation There is no clear agreement on whether the Caucasus Mountains are part of Europe or Asia. Depending on the approach, the highest mountain in Europe is considered respectively either Mount Elbrus (5642 m) or Mont Blanc (4810 m) in the Alps, on the Italian-French border. The Caucasus Mountains are located in the center of the Eurasian Plate between Europe and Asia. The ancient Greeks saw the Bosphorus and the Caucasus Mountains as the border of Europe. Later this opinion was changed several times for political reasons. During the Migration Period and the Middle Ages, the Bosphorus and the Don River separated the two continents. The border was defined by the Swedish officer and geographer Philipp Johann von Stralenberg, who proposed a border running through the peaks of the Urals and then down the Emba River to the coast of the Caspian Sea, before passing through the Kumo-Manych depression, which is 300 km north of the Caucasus Mountains. . In 1730, this course was approved by the Russian Tsar, and has since been adopted by many scholars. According to this definition, mountains are part of Asia and, according to this view, the highest mountain in Europe is Mont Blanc. On the other hand, La Grande Encyclopedie explicitly defines the border between Europe and Asia, south of both Caucasian ranges. Elbrus and Kazbek are European mountains by this definition.

Fauna and flora In addition to the ubiquitous wild animals, there are wild boars, chamois, mountain goats, as well as golden eagles. In addition, there are still wild bears. Extremely rare is the Caucasian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica), which was rediscovered only in 2003. IN historical period there were also Asian lions and Caspian tigers, but soon after the birth of Christ they were completely eradicated. A subspecies of the European bison, the Caucasian bison, became extinct in 1925. The last copy of the Caucasian elk was killed in 1810. There are a lot of invertebrate species in the Caucasus, for example, about 1000 species of spiders have been confirmed there so far. In the Caucasus, there are 6350 species of flowering plants, including 1600 native species. 17 species of mountain plants originated in the Caucasus. The giant Hogweed, considered in Europe as a neophyte of predatory species, comes from this region. It was imported in 1890 as an ornamental plant to Europe. The biodiversity of the Caucasus is declining at an alarming rate. The mountainous region is one of the 25 most vulnerable regions on Earth in terms of nature conservation.

Landscape The Caucasus Mountains have a varied landscape, which mostly varies vertically and depends on the 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). Oak, hornbeam, maple and ash are common on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus at lower altitudes, while birch and pine forests predominate on the higher elevations. Some of the lowest 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 at higher 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 meters.

Surprisingly beautiful mountain landscapes can be seen in these wonderful and unique places. The most impressive peaks are the Greater Caucasus Range. This is the territory of the highest and largest mountains in the Caucasus region.

The Lesser Caucasus and the valleys (Riono-Kura depression) represent 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 Riono-Kura depression, the coasts of the Black Sea and the Caspian Seas, the Stavropol Upland, a small part of the Caspian lowland (Dagestan) and the Kuban-Azov lowland to the left bank of the Don River on part of its mouth.

The mountains of the Greater Caucasus have a length of 1500 kilometers, and the highest peak is Elbrus. The length of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains is 750 km.

A little lower, let's take a closer look at the Caucasus Range.

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 extends, and the border between it and the Caucasian foothills repeats the latter passes 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 beyond the river, the peninsulas of Asia Minor begin.

Caucasian Range: description

The most courageous people and climbers have long chosen the Caucasian mountain range, which attracts extreme people from all over the world.

The most important Caucasian ridge divides the entire Caucasus into 2 parts: Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. This mountain range extends from the Black Sea to the shores of the Caspian Sea.

The length of the Caucasus Range is more than 1200 kilometers.

The site, located on the territory of the reserve, represents the highest mountain ranges of the Western Caucasus. Moreover, the heights here are the most diverse. Their marks vary from 260 to more than 3360 meters above sea level.

The perfect combination of mild mild climate and amazing landscapes make this place ideal for an active tourist holiday 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 rocks of the ridge: limestones and marls. There used to be an ocean floor here. Throughout the vast massif, one can observe a pronounced folding with numerous glaciers, turbulent rivers and mountain lakes.

About the height of the Caucasus Range

The peaks of the Caucasus Range are numerous and quite diverse in height.

Elbrus is the highest point 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, giving it their unique names: Oshkhomakho, Alberis, Yalbuz and Mingitau.

The most important mountain in the Caucasus ranks fifth on Earth among mountains formed in this 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.

More details about the highest peak of the Caucasus

The highest height of the Caucasus Range is Russia. It looks like two cones, between which (a distance of 3 km from each other) at an altitude of 5200 meters there is a saddle. The highest of them has, as already noted, a height of 5642 meters, a smaller one - 5621m.

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 peak is covered with snow starting from a height of about 3500 meters. In addition, there are glaciers, the most famous of which are the Small and Big Azau and Terskop.

The temperature at the highest point of Elbrus is -14 °C. 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 - Small 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.

Glaciers located on 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 mountains of Elbrus and Kazbek (in the west and in the east). In this section, the length of the Main Caucasian Range is 190 kilometers, and if we take into account the meanders, about 260 km.

Border Russian state passes through the territory of the Central Caucasus. Behind it are South Ossetia and Georgia.

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 Georgian-owned Terek valley (upper part).

On the territory of the Central Caucasus, 5 parallel ridges are distinguished (oriented along the latitudes):

1. The main Caucasian ridge (height up to 5203 m, Mount Shkhara).
2. Ridge Lateral (height up to 5642 meters, Mount Elbrus).
3. Ridge Rocky (height up to 3646 meters, Mount Karakaya).
4. Ridge Pastbishchny (up to 1541 meters).
5. Ridge Wooded (height 900 meters).

Tourists and climbers mainly visit and storm the first three ridges.

North and South Caucasus

The Greater Caucasus, as a geographical object, originates from the Taman Peninsula, and ends in the area of ​​All Subjects Russian Federation and the countries located in this area 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, the Rostov Region, Chechnya, the Republic of Adygea, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan and Karachay-Cherkessia.
• South Caucasus (or Transcaucasia) - Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan.

Elbrus region

The Elbrus region is geographically the westernmost section of the Central Caucasus. Its territory covers the upper reaches of the Baksan River with its tributaries, the area north of Elbrus and the western spurs of Mount Elbrus to the right bank of the Kuban. The largest peak of this region is the famous Elbrus, located to the north and located in the Side Range. The second highest peak is (4700 meters).

The Elbrus area 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, which has 23 glaciers (total area - 122.6 sq. km).

Location of states in the Caucasus

1. The Russian Federation partially occupies the territory of the Greater Caucasus and its foothills from the Dividing and Main Caucasian Ranges to the north. 10% of the total population of the country lives in the North Caucasus.
2. Abkhazia also has territories that are parts of the Greater Caucasus: the area from the Kodori to the Gagra ranges, the Black Sea coast between the river. Psou and Enguri, and to the north of Enguri a small part of the Colchis lowland.
3. South Ossetia is located in the central region of the Greater Caucasus. The beginning of the territory is the Main Caucasian Range. The territory extends in a southerly direction from it, between the Rachinsky, Suramsky and Lomissky ranges, to the very valley of the Kura River.
4. 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 range. The most mountainous parts 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 the whole of Georgia is within the Caucasus.
5. 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 the Talysh Mountains belong to the Iranian Highlands) is located in the Caucasus.
6. Armenia has part of the territory of the Lesser Caucasus (slightly east of the Akhuryan River, which is a tributary of the Araks).
7. Turkey occupies the southwestern section of the Lesser Caucasus, representing 4 eastern provinces of this country: Ardahan, Kars, partly 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 in the next hundred years the volcano (Mount Elbrus) may wake up. And this is fraught with catastrophic consequences for neighboring regions (Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria).

But, whatever it may be, the conclusion follows that there is nothing more beautiful than the mountains. It is impossible to describe all the magnificent nature of this fabulous mountain country. To feel it all, you should visit these amazingly beautiful paradise places. They are especially impressively viewed from the heights of the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains.

The Main Caucasian (Dividing) Range is a continuous mountain range stretching for more than 1,100 km from the northwest to the southeast from the Black Sea (Anapa region) to the Caspian Sea (Mount Ilkhydag northwest of Baku). The Caucasian Range divides the Caucasus into two parts: Ciscaucasia (Northern Caucasus) and Transcaucasia (South Caucasus).

The Main Caucasian Range separates the basins of the Kuban, Terek, Sulak and Samur rivers in the north and the Inguri, Rioni and Kura rivers in the south.

The mountain system, which includes the Main Caucasian Range, is called the Greater Caucasus (or the Greater Caucasian Range), in contrast to the Lesser Caucasus, a vast highland located south of the Rioni and Kura valleys and directly connected with the uplands of Western Asia.

For a more convenient view, the Caucasus Range can be divided along the length from west to east into seven parts:

Black Sea Caucasus (from the meridian of Anapa to the Fisht-Oshten mountain group - approx. 265 km),

Kuban Caucasus (from Oshten to the source of the Kuban) - 160 km,

Elbrus Caucasus, or western (Karachai-Circassian) Elbrus region (from the source of the Kuban to the top of Adai-Khokh) - 170 km,

Tersky (Kazbek) Caucasus (from Adai-Khokh to the city of Barbalo) - 125 km,

Dagestan Caucasus (from Barbalo to the top of Sari-Dag) - 130 km,

Samur Caucasus (from Sari-Dag to the city of Baba-Dag) - approx. 130 km,

Caspian Caucasus (from Baba-Dag to the top of Ilkhydag) - approx. 170 km.

A more enlarged division is also adopted:

Western Caucasus (limited from the east by Elbrus);

Central Caucasus;

Eastern Caucasus (limited from the west by Kazbek).

The entire system of the Main Caucasian Range occupies approximately 2,600 km². The northern slope covers about 1450 km², and the southern one - about 1150 km².

The width of the Caucasus Range in the western (somewhat west of Elbrus, and including the Elbrus mountain range) and eastern (Dagestan) parts is about 160 ... 180 km, in the central - about 100 km; both extremities are strongly narrowed and represent (especially the western) an insignificant width.

The highest is the middle part of the ridge, between Elbrus and Kazbek (average heights are about 3,400 - 3,500 m above sea level); its highest peaks are concentrated here, the highest of which - Elbrus - reaches a height of 5,642 m above sea level. m.; east of Kazbek and west of Elbrus, the ridge drops, and more significantly in the second direction than in the first.

In general, in height, the Caucasian Range significantly exceeds the Alps; it has no less than 15 peaks exceeding 5,000 m, and more than 20 peaks above Mont Blanc, the highest peak in all of Western Europe. The advanced heights accompanying the Main Range, in most cases, do not have the character of continuous chains, but are short ridges or mountain groups connected with the watershed ridge by spurs and cut through in many places by deep gorges of rivers, which, starting in the Main Range and breaking through the advanced heights, descend to the foothills and out onto the plains.

Mount Elbrus from the air - the roof of Europe

Thus, almost along its entire length (in the west - from the south, in the east - from the north), a series of high basins adjoins the watershed ridge, in most cases of lacustrine origin, closed on the one hand by the heights of the watershed, as well as its spurs, and on the other - separate groups and short ridges of advanced hills, which in some places surpass the main chain in height.

On the north side of the watershed, transverse basins predominate, and on the south, except for its western extremity, longitudinal ones. It is also characteristic of the Caucasus Range that many of the primary peaks do not lie on the Dividing Ridge, but on the extremities of its short spurs heading north (this is the position of the peaks of Elbrus, Koshtan, Adai-khokh, etc.). This is the so-called Lateral Caucasian Range, which stretches in the vast majority of cases (in many places) even below the Rocky.

Northern slope of the Caucasus Range

The northern, more developed slope of the Caucasus Range, formed by many spurs, adjoining in general almost perpendicular to the Main Range and separated by deep transverse valleys, reaches a very significant development in the vicinity of Elbrus (Elbrus ledge). The most significant uplift [the Elbrus-Mineralnye Vody fault zone] goes straight north from this peak, serves as a watershed between the waters of the Kuban (Azov) and the Terek (Caspian Sea) and, descending further in ledges, spreads into the island mountains of Pyatigorye and the vast Stavropol Upland (the main uplift frontal ledges reaches the Pasture Range, bordering the horseshoe Kislovodsk basin turns south (Kislovodsk) to the east, along with gorges and river valleys stretches to the Terek-Sunzhensky interfluve - forming the Terek-Sunzhenskaya upland, and further - up to the Andisky ridge).

The northern slope is even more developed in the eastern part of the Caucasus Range, where numerous, and very significant in height and length, its spurs form the vast mountainous country of Dagestan (Dagestan ledge) - a large mountainous region enclosed by the high Andean, Sala-Tau and Gimrynsky (2334 m ) ridges. Gradually lowering to the north, the northern slope is formed by many advanced hills, which in places are in the form of ridges and mountain spurs; such mountain ranges include the so-called Black Mountains (see) (Pasture Range), located to the north of the Main Range, at a distance of 65 km from it. The Black Mountains form gentle and long slopes, in most areas covered with dense forests (hence the name), and fall in steep cliffs to the south. The rivers flowing from the Main Range break through the Black Mountains along deep and narrow, very picturesque gorges (Sulak Canyon up to 1800 m deep); the height of this forward chain, in general, is insignificant, although (in the west of the Dagestan ledge) in the upper reaches of the Ardon and Urukh, some of their peaks reach a height of more than 3,300 m above sea level (Kion-hokh - 3,423 m, Kargu-Khokh - 3 350 m, Vaza-Khokh - 3,529 m (Skalisty and Side Ridge)).

view of the Caucasus Range from the Rosa Khutor base

The southern slope is especially poorly developed in the western and eastern parts ridge, reaching a fairly significant orographic development in the middle, where it is adjoined by parallel hills, forming longitudinal valleys of the upper reaches of the Rioni, Inguri and Tskhenis-tskhali, and long spurs extend to the south, separating the Alazani, Iori and Kura basins.

The steepest and least developed section of the southern slope is where it falls to the Alazani valley; The city of Zagatala, located at an altitude of 355 m at the southern foot of the Caucasus Range, is only 20 km away in a straight line from its crest, which here reaches a height of more than 3,300 m above sea level. The Caucasian ridge is not distinguished by cross-country ability; only on its western and eastern extremities are there convenient and low passes, quite accessible all year round for communication.

Throughout the rest of the length, with the exception of the Mamison and Cross Passes (see Georgian Military Road), the paths through the ridge in most cases represent pack or even hiking paths, partly completely inaccessible for use in the winter season. From all the passes highest value has a Cross (2,379 m), through which the Georgian Military Highway passes.

Central Caucasus

Glaciers of the Caucasus

In terms of the number of glaciers, their area and size, the Caucasus Range is almost as good as the Alps. The largest number of significant glaciers is located in the Elbrus and Terek parts of the ridge, and there are about 183 glaciers of the first category in the basins of the Kuban, Terek, Liakhva, Rioni and Inguri, and 679 of the second category. In total, in the Greater Caucasus, according to the Catalog of Glaciers of the USSR (1967 —1978), 2,050 glaciers with a total area of ​​1,424 km². The size of the Caucasian glaciers is very diverse, and some of them (for example, Bezengi) are almost as large as the Aletsch glacier in the Alps. The Caucasian glaciers nowhere descend as low as, for example, the glaciers of the Alps, and in this respect are of great variety; so the Karaugom glacier ends down to a height of 1,830 m above sea level, and the Shah-Daga glacier (ShahDag city (4243 m), in the BazarDyuzu region) - to a height of 3,320 m above sea level. The most famous glaciers of the Caucasus Range are:

Mount Fisht, Caucasus

Name of the glacier (Mountain from which it descends)

Bezengi (bass. Cherek Bezengi) Shota Rustaveli Peak, Shkhara

Dykh-Su [Dykh-Kotyu-BugoySu]

Karaugom (Uruh, bass. Terek) Adai-hoh

Tsaneri [Tsanner] (bass. Inguri) Tetnuld

Devdoraki (bass. Amali) Kazbek

Big Azau (Baksan, Terek basin) Elbrus, southern shoulder

Snow Valley Jikiugankez

Malka and Baksan Elbrus, eastern shoulder

Tsei (Ardon, bass Terek)

Lekhzyr [Lekzyr, Lekziri] (bass. Inguri)

Ezengi (Yusengi)

Donguzorun-Cheget-Karabashi (west), Yusengi ridge (east)

Shkheldy glacier (Adylsu, bass. Baksan)

Shkhelda (4368 m),

Chatyntau (4411 m)

panorama of the Caucasian ridge

During the Ice Age, the glaciers of the Caucasus Range were much more numerous and extensive than they are today; from the numerous traces of their existence, found far from modern glaciers, it can be concluded that ancient glaciers extended in length for 53, 64 and even up to 106.7 or more kilometers, descending into valleys to heights of 244 ... 274 meters above sea level. Currently, most of the glaciers of the Caucasus Range are in a period of retreat, which has been lasting for several decades.

Main Caucasian Range - Abkhazia

MAJOR PEAKS AND GLACIERS OF THE CAUCASIAN RIDGE

Bezengi is a mountainous region of Kabardino-Balkaria, the central, highest part of the Caucasus Mountains, including the Bezengi wall of the main Caucasian ridge and the lateral ridges adjacent from the north, forming the basin of the Cherek Bezengi river.

Bezengi wall

The Bezengi wall is a 42-kilometer mountain range, the highest section of the main Caucasian ridge. Usually, the peaks of Lyalver (in the west) and Shkhara (in the east) are considered the boundaries of the wall.

To the north, the wall abruptly breaks up to 3000 m to the Bezengi glacier (Ullu-Chiran). To the south, towards Georgia, the relief is complex, there are both wall sections and high-altitude glacial plateaus.

Peaks of the area

Bezengi wall

Lalver (4350)

Yesenin Peak (4310)

Gestola (4860)

Katyntau (4974)

Dzhangitau (5085)

Sh. Rustaveli Peak (4960)

Shkhara (5068)

Mount Dykhtau, Side Ridge

side ridge

Koshtantau (5152)

Krumkol (4676)

Tikhonov Peak (4670)

Mijirgi (5025)

Pushkin Peak (5033)

Dykhtau (5204)

warm corner

Gidan (4167)

Archimedes Peak (4100)

Georgia, Trinity Monastery near Mount Kazbek

Salynan-bashi (4348)

Ortokara (4250)

Peak Ryazan

Peak Brno (4100)

Misses tau (4427)

Peak Cadets (3850)

Mount Shkhara

THE HIGHEST PEAK OF GEORGIA

Shkhara (Georgian შხარა) is a mountain peak in the central part of the Main Caucasian (Dividing) Range, the highest point in Georgia. Height 5,068 m above sea level, some sources give an estimate of 5,201 m. Located in Svaneti from the south and Bezengi in Kabardino-Balkaria from the north, on the border with Russia, about 90 km north of the city of Kutaisi. It is part of a unique 12-kilometer mountain range known as the Bezengi wall.

Composed of granites and crystalline schists. The slopes are covered with glaciers, on the northern slope - the Bezengi glacier, on the southern slope - the Shkhara glacier, from which the Inguri River partially originates. Popular climbing site. Soviet climbers first climbed Shkhara in 1933.

At the foot of the southern slopes of Shkhara, at an altitude of 2,200 m above sea level, there is the village of Ushguli in the Mestia region of Svaneti, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

MOUNT TETNULD Main Caucasian Range

Tetnuld (Georgian თეთნულდი "white mountain") is a peak in the spur of the Bezengi Wall, the Main Caucasian Range in the region of Upper Svaneti, Georgia, 2 km south of the peak of Gestola and the border of the Russian Federation (Kabardino-Balkaria).

Height - 4 869 m.

The peak is two-headed, composed of ancient crystalline rocks. The glaciers Oish, Nageb, (sources of the Inguri), Adish and others flow down from Tetnuld. The total area of ​​glaciers is 46 km².

22 km west of the summit is the regional center of Mestia.

Mount Gestola

Tsey Glacier

Tsey glacier (Ossetian Ts'yy ts'iti) is a valley glacier on the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus, one of the largest and lowest descending glaciers of the Caucasus.

The Tsey glacier is located in North Ossetia and is fed mainly by the snows of Mount Adai-Khokh (4,408 m). The Tseisky glacier descends to a height of 2,200 m above sea level, that is, below the vast majority of the glaciers of the Caucasus. Its length, together with the firn fields, is about 9 km, the area is 9.7 km². At the very bottom, it is rather narrow, and above it expands greatly, reaching 1 km in width. Cramped by rocks at an altitude of 2,500 m above sea level, it forms innumerable cracks and has several icefalls, but higher its surface becomes more even again.

The Tseisky glacier is formed from 2 large and 2 smaller branches. From the ice arch of the Tsey glacier flows the beautiful river Tsey (Tseydon), which flows from west to east through a deep picturesque and covered pine forest gorge. It flows into Ardon from the left side.

Near the Tseisky glacier there are climbing camps and the Ossetia tourist center, as well as the Goryanka hotel, the SKGMI scientific station and the weather station. There are two cable cars. Mountain-climatic resort area - Tsey.

Many poems are devoted to the Tsey glacier and the gorge, both by eminent authors (for example, “Tseyskaya” by Yuri Vizbor) and folk:

What a beautiful camp Tsey, /

I have many friends here. /

And the mountains are nearby - I won't hide it. /

As soon as you go beyond the threshold, /

Before the eyes of Adai-Khokh, /

And a gray lump of "Monk" over his head ...

Mount Adai-Khokh

Friend, thank you for the cup,

I hold the sky in my hand

Mountain air of the state

I drink on the Tsey glacier.

Nature itself is here

A clear trace of bygone times -

nineteenth year

Purifying ozone.

And down from Sadon's pipes

Gray smoke stretches

To me during it

This cold did not carry away.

There, under the roofs, like a grid,

The rain breathes and trembles

And on a string a trolley

Runs like a black bead.

I am present at the meeting

Two times and two heights

And prickly snow on the shoulders

Old Tsey puts me.

Moscow, 1983. Arseny Tarkovsky

Mount Monk

MOUNTAIN Donguzorun-Cheget

Donguzorun-Cheget-Karabashi or Donguz-Orun is the peak of the Main (or Dividing Range) of the Greater Caucasus, in the Elbrus region. It is located in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria of the Russian Federation. Height - 4454 m.

Nearby, at an altitude of 3203 m, there is the Donguzorun mountain pass through the Main Range between the valleys of the Baksan (Russia) and Inguri (Georgia) rivers. At the foot of the Donguzorun-Cheget-Karabashi flows one of the tributaries of the Baksan - the Donguz-Orun River.

MOUNT ACHISHO

Achishkho (Adyghe goat mountain: Achi - "goat", shkho - "height", "peak".) (Nedezhui-Kushkh) - a mountain range in the Western Caucasus, located on the territory Krasnodar Territory Russian Federation. Altitude up to 2391 m (Mount Achishkho, 10 km north-west of Krasnaya Polyana).

The ridge is composed of shales and volcanic (tuffaceous) rocks. The landscapes of the Achishkho Ridge are characterized by ancient glacial landforms and ridge lakes (including karst ones), and there are waterfalls.

The ridge is located in the humid climate zone - the annual precipitation is up to 3000 mm (the highest value in Russia), the thickness of the snow cover reaches 10 m. sunny days does not exceed 60-70 days a year.

The slopes of Achishkho are covered with broad-leaved, mostly beech, fir forests in the north, and mountain meadows on the peaks.

The ridge is popular with hikers. There are dolmens.

Caucasian State Natural

biosphere reserve

The reserve is the successor of the Caucasian bison reserve, established on May 12, 1924, located in the Western Caucasus, on the border of the temperate and subtropical climatic zones. The total area of ​​the reserve is more than 280 thousand hectares, of which Krasnodar Territory- 177.3 thousand hectares.

On February 19, 1979, by decision of UNESCO, the Caucasus Reserve was given the status of a biosphere reserve, and in January 2008 it was named after Kh. G. Shaposhnikov. In 1999, the territory of the Caucasian State Natural Biosphere Reserve was included in the World Heritage List

Kuban hunting

In 1888, on behalf of the Grand Dukes Peter Nikolayevich and Georgy Mikhailovich, about 80 thousand acres of land in the Greater Caucasus Range were leased from the forest dachas of the Ministry of State Property and the Kuban Regional Military Administration. An agreement was concluded with the Kuban Rada on the exclusive right to hunt in these territories for the Grand Dukes. Later, the territories became known as the Great Kuban Hunting.

A few years later, the princes stopped traveling to the Kuban for health reasons, and then in 1892 they transferred the right to hunt to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who took up active development of the territory.

bison reserve

In 1906, the ending lease on the territory of the Kuban hunting was extended for another three years, after which these lands were planned to be divided between the villages of the Kuban Cossacks. In 1909, Kh. G. Shaposhnikov, who worked as a forester of the Belorechensk forestry of the Kuban Army, sent a letter to Russian Academy sciences with the rationale for the need to reserve the territory leased from the Kuban Army. The main reason for the creation of the reserve was the protection of the endangered Caucasian bison. The letter also outlined the boundaries of the reserve. Based on this letter, Academician H. Nasonov made a report, and the Academy of Sciences created a commission. As a military forester, Shaposhnikov participated in her work on the organization of the reserve. However, for a number of reasons related to the division of land Kuban Cossacks, there has been no significant progress.

Repeated attempts to create a reserve were made in 1913 and 1916. Finally, in 1919, a positive decision was made.

With the establishment of Soviet power in the region, the issue of the reserve had to be decided anew. Only in May 1924, the state Caucasian bison reserve was established.

Cross Pass - the highest point of the Georgian military road

DEFENSE OF THE CAUCASIAN RIDGE

Fighting on the passes.

In mid-August 1942, the 1st and 4th divisions of the 49th German Mountain Rifle Corps, concentrated in the area of ​​​​Nevinnomyssk and Cherkessk, began to move freely towards the passes of the Main Caucasian Range, since there were no our troops in this direction, and 46 The 1st army, which was instructed to organize the defense, did not even have time to approach the southern slopes of the passes. There were no engineering structures on the passes.

By August 14, the 1st German mountain rifle division reached the Verkhnyaya Teberda, Zelenchukskaya, Storozhevaya area, and the 4th German mountain rifle division went to the Akhmetovskaya area. Strong groups specially trained enemy climbers, who had experienced guides, preempted our units and, from August 17 to October 9, occupied all the passes in the area from Mount Elbrus to the Umpyrsky pass. On the Klukhor and Sanchar directions, the Nazis, having overcome the Main Caucasian Range, reached its southern slopes, advancing 10-25 km. There was a threat of the capture of Sukhumi and disruption of supply along the communications that ran along the Black Sea coast.

On August 20, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command demanded from the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, along with the creation of a strong defense in the main operational areas, the immediate strengthening of the defense of the Main Caucasian Range, especially the Georgian Military, Military Ossetian and Military Sukhumi roads. The Headquarters ordered to blow up and fill up all the passes and paths, mountain passes, on which no defensive structures were created, and to prepare the areas defended by the troops for an explosion in case of withdrawal. It was proposed to appoint commandants on all roads and directions, entrusting them with full responsibility for defense and road conditions.

Fulfilling the instructions of the Headquarters, the command of the Transcaucasian Front began to deploy forces in order to stop the offensive of the Nazi troops on the passes of the Main Caucasian Range.

On the Elbrus direction, units of the 1st German mountain rifle division, taking advantage of the absence of our troops, on August 18 occupied the Hotyu-Tau and Chiper-Azau passes, the Krugozor and Shelter Eleven tourist bases on the southern slopes of Mount Elbrus. Units of the 8th Motorized Regiment of the NKVD and the 63rd Cavalry Division that approached here pushed the enemy back from these passes to the Shelter of Eleven, where he was held until January 1943.

The Klukhorsky pass was covered by a company of the 815th regiment. On August 15, the enemy sent a regiment here. Unable to withstand a strong blow, the defenders of the pass began to retreat to the southern slopes, where there were two more companies. The fighting was fierce. Having learned about them on August 17, the command of the 46th Army sent two battalions and an NKVD detachment to help the units of the 816th regiment, which, approaching the battle area on August 22, stopped the further advance of the Nazis. On September 8, enemy units were driven back to the Klukhor Pass, where they remained until January 1943.

On September 5, the enemy regiment, after a concentrated bombing strike by aviation and a fire raid by artillery and mortars, launched an attack on the Marukh Pass, which was defended by two battalions. After stubborn fighting, the defenders were forced to leave the pass on September 7th. The further advance of the Germans here was stopped by the approaching reinforcements, but it was not possible to throw them off the pass until January 1943. The Sanchar Pass was defended by one company and a combined detachment of the NKVD. On August 25, the fascist German command moved a regiment against them. The Nazis managed to knock out our units from the pass and almost unhindered to reach the area, which is 25 km from Gudauta and Sukhumi. The urgently created Sancharskaya group of troops was sent to meet the enemy, consisting of one rifle regiment, two rifle battalions, two regiments of the NKVD and a detachment of cadets of the 1st Tbilisi Infantry School. On August 29, the group came into contact with the German units, stopped them, and on August 6, with the support of aviation, went on the offensive.

Two days later, she captured the village of Pskhu, which served as the enemy's main base on the southern slopes of the Main Caucasian Range. Now the Nazis did not have a single locality. By October 20, our troops in the Sanchar direction, with the support of the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, threw them back to the northern slopes of the Main Caucasian Range.

The role of the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet in defeating the enemy grouping in the Sanchar direction is enormous. Aircraft DB-3, SB, Pe-2 and R-10, based at the airfields of Gudauta and Babusheri at a distance of 25-35 km from the front line, daily made 6-10 sorties to deliver bombing strikes against enemy troops, and on days of intense fighting - up to 40 sorties. In total, in September 1942, the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet dropped about a thousand FAB-100s on the Sancharsky and Marukhsky passes.

Thus, our troops, having almost no artillery and mortars, received the greatest and only support from naval aviation.

The fascist German command also tried to seize the Umpyrsky and Belorechensky passes. On the Umpyrsky Pass, which was defended by two companies, the Nazis on August 28 threw two reinforced battalions. However, thanks to a well-organized defense, the courageous actions of the Soviet soldiers, numerous enemy attacks were repulsed. The Belorechensky Pass was stormed by an infantry regiment and several squadrons of enemy cavalry supported by artillery. By the energetic actions of our forces and the approaching reserves, the enemy was stopped, and then thrown back far to the north.

So, by the actions of units of the 46th Army and aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, the offensive of the 49th German Mountain Rifle Corps, specially prepared for combat operations in the mountains, was thwarted. By the end of October 1942, a stable defense of the Main Caucasian Range was created.

Antiamphibious defense of the Poti naval base. In July - December, the defense of the Black Sea coast from the Soviet-Turkish border to Lazarevskaya was carried out by the forces of the Poti naval base together with the 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front. In the second half of August, when the Nazi troops approached the passes of the Main Caucasian Range, the 46th Army was redirected to repulse this main danger, the defense of the coast became the sole task of the Poti naval base.

The composition of the base forces changed with the situation. The enemy stepped up reconnaissance of the main base of the fleet and began to bombard the base and ships. By the end of December, the air defense base area was replenished with a regiment and thus included three anti-aircraft regiments and a separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion. The infantry units of the base also increased by one battalion and two platoons of marines. But these forces were clearly not enough to organize a reliable defense of the coast, so it was built on the principle of creating separate centers of resistance that covered the main directions. Between the nodes of resistance, blockages and notches were built, separate machine-gun points were installed, and anti-personnel minefields were set up.

The strongest defense from land was created in the area of ​​Poti and Batumi, where it was decided to equip four lines: forward, main, rear and internal. The forward line of defense was supposed to pass from the base at a distance of 35 - 45 km, the main line - at a distance of 25 - 30 km, the rear - at a distance of 10 - 20 km from Poti and Batumi, the internal one - directly on the outskirts and deep in the gardens. For street fighting, it was planned to build barricades and anti-tank obstacles.

However, the planned engineering defenses were not built. Forward and main lines of defense due to lack of work force were not equipped at all, and on the rear line of work, by October 25, only 75% were completed.

The entire defense area of ​​Poti from the land was divided into three sectors. The first sector was defended by a marine battalion with the support of eleven coastal artillery guns, the second sector - by the coastal defense school and the border detachment (343 people and seven guns), the third sector - by the personnel of the 1st brigade of torpedo boats and the border detachment (105 people and eight guns ). There were about 500 people in the reserve of the commander of the Poti naval base. In addition, all sectors were supported by naval artillery.

In order to better use forces in the defense of the coast, a manual was developed on the antiamphibious defense of the Poti naval base.

However, there were significant shortcomings in the organization of coastal defense. The engineering structures created at the beginning of 1942, due to the long time frame for their construction, fell into disrepair by 30-40% and required a solid repair. Coastal artillery was poorly prepared to repulse the enemy from land. Batteries No. 716 and 881 had no shrapnel shells at all. Over 50% of the personnel of the 164th separate artillery battalion did not have rifles.

There were major shortcomings in the organization of the air defense of the base, which were revealed during an enemy air raid on Poti on July 16. First of all, the monitoring and warning system was poorly developed. So, due to the location of patrol boats near the base, the command of the air defense base area was not able to detect the enemy in time and raise fighter aircraft, and some anti-aircraft batteries were not even notified of the approach of enemy aircraft.

However, despite all these shortcomings, the formations and units of the Poti naval base ensured a reliable basing of the fleet and created favorable conditions for the operations of units of the 46th Army on the passes of the Main Caucasian Range.

Conclusions on the actions of the Black Sea Fleet in the defense of bases and coasts

As a result of a five-month offensive in the second half of 1942, the Nazi troops achieved significant success. They captured the North Caucasus and the Taman Peninsula, reached the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range and the Terek River, and captured the passes. The enemy managed to occupy economically important areas and create a difficult situation for our troops in the Caucasus, but he was unable to overcome the defenses of our troops and achieve strategic success.

In the course of fierce defensive battles, Soviet troops and the Black Sea Fleet bled the enemy, stopped his offensive in the foothills and at the turn of the Terek River, and thereby thwarted Hitler's plans to capture the entire Caucasus and the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

The Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla, operationally subordinate to the command of the North Caucasian Front, and then the Transcaucasian Front, closely interacting with these fronts, provided them with great assistance in the defense and defeat of the Nazi troops in the Caucasus. The Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla reliably covered the coastal flank of our ground forces, organizing the antiamphibious defense of the Azov and Black Sea coasts, allocating for this purpose about 40 thousand people from the marine corps units, coastal and anti-aircraft artillery units, 200 anti-aircraft guns, 150 coastal artillery guns, 250 warships, ships and watercraft and up to 250 aircraft.

Parts of the Marine Corps, Coastal Artillery and Aviation, operating on land, showed stamina, high moral and political spirit, mass heroism and an unbending will to defeat the enemy.

Although the antiamphibious defense of the coast by the Black Sea Fleet was organized in accordance with the situation and fully justified itself, it should be recognized that it was poorly saturated with rifle units, which gave the enemy the opportunity to land troops on the Taman Peninsula on September 2, 1942 and make an attempt to land on the night of October 30 landing on the eastern shore of the Tsemess Bay.

The experience of the defense of Novorossiysk and Tuapse showed that the delay in organizing forces for defense, the shallow depth of defense and the dispersal of forces led to significant losses in manpower and equipment and the loss of Novorossiysk, and the timely creation of the Tuapse defensive region made it possible to organize a deep, strong defense of the base from land and not allow the enemy to enter the defended area. The experience of base defense also showed that one of the main reasons for their rapid fall was the lack of reserves at the base command, which did not allow timely reflection of enemy attacks.

The experience of base defense confirmed the need to organize interaction and unite all forces under a single command. The best form of such an organization was a fully justified defensive area, divided into sectors and combat areas.

The heroic defense of the Caucasus was a good military school for units Soviet army and the Black Sea Fleet. In the course of it, they accumulated vast combat experience and mastered the tactics of operations in the mountains. Soviet troops were re-equipped with light weapons, rifle units were reinforced with engineering formations, commanders mastered the art of command and control in difficult conditions, the rear organized the supply of troops in mountainous conditions, using aviation and all types of transport, including pack.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:

Team Nomads.

B.A. Garf. Bezengi Gorge. - Moscow: State publishing house of geographical literature, 1952.
A.F. Naumov. Central Caucasus. - Moscow: "PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORT", 1967.

http://www.sk-greta.ru/

Bush I. A. Glaciers of the Western Caucasus. Notes of the Russian Geographical Society on General Geography. T. XXXIII. No. 4, 1905,

Dictionary of modern geographical names / Under the general editorship of acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria, 2006.

around Elbrus. Tourist route map (M. 1:100,000). Pyatigorsk: North-Kav. AGP. 1992. Roskartografiya 1992, 1999 (with a more detailed description)

http://www.anapacity.com/bitva-za-kavkaz/glavnyj-kavkazskiy-hrebet.html

Topographic map K-38-13. - GUGK USSR, 1984.

Wikipedia site.

Opryshko O. L. Cloudy front of the Elbrus region. - M .: Military Publishing House, 1976. - 152 p. - (The heroic past of our Motherland). — 65,000 copies.

Beroev B. M. Elbrus region: Essay on nature. Chronicle of the conquest of Elbrus. Tourist routes. — M.: Profizdat, 1984. — 208 p. - (One hundred ways - one hundred roads). - 97,500 copies.

http://ii1.photocentra.ru/

http://photosight.ru/