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Mount Elbrus

Elbrus

Stratovolcano · Russia · 5642m

Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains of SW Russia, contains glaciers on its flanks. Elbrus has two summits separated by a low saddle. Snow-filled craters are visible in this image at both the eastern and western summits. Products of Mount Elbrus cover 260 km2 with its longest lava flow reaching 24 km down the NNE flank. Elbrus has been active into the Holocene. Weak fumarolic activity near the summit continues and hot springs are present on the flanks.
Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains of SW Russia, contains glaciers on its flanks. Elbrus has two summits separated by a low saddle. Snow-filled craters are visible in this image at both the eastern and western summits. Products of Mount Elbrus cover 260 km2 with its longest lava flow reaching 24 km down the NNE flank. Elbrus has been active into the Holocene. Weak fumarolic activity near the summit continues and hot springs are present on the flanks. · Photo: Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2002 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Russia
Region
Arabia-Central Asia Volcanic Regions / Caucasus Volcanic Province
Elevation
5642m
Coordinates
43.351, 42.442
Last eruption
50
Tectonic setting
Intraplate / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Dacite
Geological summary

Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains of SW Russia, is a large glaciated stratovolcano. The summit area has two distinct peaks about 1 km apart, with a 250-m-wide crater on the eastern cone, separated by a low saddle from the western peak. Eruptive products cover 260 km2; its longest lava flow traveled 24 km down the NNE flank. Vlodavetz (in Blumenthal et al., 1964, CAVW) hypothesized that the most recent lava flows were 2,000-3,000 years old based on morphological appearance. Gushchenko (1979) noted explosive activity and a lava flow across a glacial moraine, and dated it at around 2,000 years ago. Weak solfataric activity has been reported near the summit, and hot springs are present on the flanks.

From Wikipedia

Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising 5,642 m (18,510 ft) above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the southern Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the western extension of Ciscaucasia, and is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
50~50 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?5050515151

Detailed timeline

  1. 50 (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    50 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.