LATE PLEISTOCENE (WüRMIAN) GLACIATION OF THE CAUCASUS

Abstract

This chapter discusses the late pleistocene (würmian) glaciation of the Caucasus. The Late Pleistocene (Würmian) glaciation of the Caucasus was of mountain–valley character, with ice caps only on some peaks. The largest glaciers on the northern slope had a maximum length of 50–70 km, but glaciers of a considerable size (17–35 km length) occurred on both the slopes of the Central Caucasus. The glacier tongues that terminated at the lowest altitude were those of the Nenskra Glacier on the south slope at 600–680 m and of the Bezingi Glacier on the north slope at 700–750 m. a.s.1. Tongues of other large glaciers descended down to 1600–1200 m. In the Late Pleistocene, the firn line at the Central Caucasus was found at 2000–2500 m increasing in altitude from west to east. This implies that the firn line in the Caucasus was depressed by some 1200–1300 m during the Late Pleistocene and increased from west to east. This is equivalent to a fall of mean annual temperature by c. 7–8°.