Elbrus is considered a volcano of a young age, since the mountain ranges of this place formed about twenty million years ago, and the direct eruptions of a harsh mountain occurred about fifteen million years ago. Now it belongs to the category of extinct giants, but several neighborhoods with cracks, from which sulfur dioxide comes out , indicate formidable processes that take place deep in the bowels. So how is the Elbrus volcano actually or extinct?
Volcano Description
Volcano Elbrus is one of the unique creations of nature - it is a two-peaked mountain. The height of the peaks is almost the same. Its difference is only twenty meters: one peak rises 5621 meters above sea level, the second - 5642 meters. The basin dividing them into three kilometers reaches 5200 meters.
The volcano Elbrus on the map looks very nice. This volcano has many names that vary depending on the national language in which they are pronounced. For example, in Georgian his name will sound like Yalbuz, and in Armenian - Alberis. The source of today's name Elbrus is the word "antibares", which has Iranian origin.
Harsh mountain
Volcano Elbrus active or extinct? Officially, it is considered an extinct giant and its peaks and slopes are covered with glaciers, whose total area is 134.5 square kilometers. A large number of people die every year who seek to conquer its peaks. The causes of their death are sudden cracks, avalanches, lack of experience and often changing weather conditions.
Climbing sites on the same slope can have a different level of difficulty. Large masses of snow accumulate on the eastern slopes, since they are more gentle than the western and northern ones, on which there are many steep cliffs and ice landslides. In the southeast of this mountain range there are cable cars that rise to a height of about 3750 meters, there are hotels. This area is the most inhabited - it is here that climbers and lovers of mountain nature come from all over the world.
Volcano Facts
But no one really knows about whether Mount Elbrus is active or extinct. Just as a new fire-breathing mountain may appear in a completely new place, so a long-asleep giant can wake up over time. There are facts indicating that Elbrus is not yet extinct: not far from it there are many hot springs. The most famous of them is Jila-Su. The water in it reaches a temperature of twenty-four degrees above zero Celsius. The presence of constant hot water indicates volcanic processes occurring deep underground. Also, measuring the surface temperature of the mountain itself at an altitude of 5621 meters showed twenty-one degrees above zero, while the air temperature was minus 20 and lower. Areas with growing green moss were also found here. All this also indirectly indicates that the activity of the volcano is not stopped. Some scientists even predict its eruption in a few hundred years.
Volcano on the map
The volcano Elbrus on the map is depicted as a large white spot. Snow tongues spread in different directions on the lowland plains.
It should be remembered that the Elbrus volcano (active or extinct, scientists have yet to find out) is a giant that can do catastrophic things on the planet. If he wakes up, multi-ton glaciers and snow masses will melt and descend along the eastern slope in the form of a volcanic deadly river. Its path stretches for fifty kilometers, if not more, up to Tyrnyauz. The population of this village is about twenty thousand people.
Today, Elbrus is an extinct volcano, or rather, a sleeping one. But again, forces ripening in its depths can break out.