The highest mountain in Europe - the dispute continues

Elbrus is higher than Mont Blanc. Its height above sea level reaches 5642 meters, while the most significant peak of the Alps is almost 800 meters lower. Then why, to this day, is the dispute about which is the highest mountain in Europe?

The thing is that Elbrus is located at the junction of two parts of the world. And to which of them it is attributed - to Europe or Asia - depends on how to draw a border between them. This controversial "borderline" issue has been for several hundred years. And it is Elbrus that is one of the reasons for its relevance.

The problem is that in nature there are no sharp transitions or a clear boundary between parts of the world, and scientists can not agree on where Asia ends and Europe begins. When the border is drawn along the Kuma-Manych depression, the Caucasus, together with its highest peak, is in Asia. And in this case the highest mountain in Europe is no longer Elbrus, but Mont Blanc.

But most researchers consider this division to be unreasonable. In their opinion, it is much more logical to divide Europe and Asia along the center line of the Caucasian ridge, in fact, besides geological factors, it is necessary to take into account others. In particular, the flora of the southern slopes of the Caucasus differs significantly from the one on the north side. To the south of the watershed predominates the vegetation subtropical, and to the north - forest-steppe. This is explained by the fact that the mountains protect Transcaucasia from cold air and serve as a natural boundary that divides the natural zones. There are many other arguments in favor of drawing a border along the main watershed of the Caucasus Mountains, which make it possible to assert that the highest mountain in Europe is still Elbrus.

Double-headed mountain

This name Elbrus received for the presence of two peaks: the western one at 21 meters above the east. They are covered with snow-white ice caps. From the snow domes on the slopes down the glaciers, which have recently been rapidly decreasing in size. Many scientists attribute this to global warming, but some believe that the rapid melting of glaciers is due to the increasing volcanic activity of Elbrus.

And all because the highest mountain in Europe has a volcanic origin. The last eruption of Elbrus occurred at the beginning of a new era. Today, scientists are confident in the imminent awakening of the volcano. And this means the possibility of a new eruption. But, most likely, in the nearest century this is unlikely to happen.

Young European mountains

In Europe, there are several mountain systems, elongated by a belt from the Caucasus to the Atlantic. The most significant of these are the Alps, which are a complex system of ridges and arrays of 1,200 kilometers in length. The highest mountains of Europe are in the territory of eight European countries and in some cases occupy significant areas, for example, in Switzerland almost 60%, and in Slovenia - 40%. Despite the fact that the Alps occupy only 3% of the territory of Germany, this is the most elevated part of the country. Here is the highest mountain in Germany with the unusual name Zugspitze, which means "head of the train". Having a height of 2,962 meters, it looks very similar to a locomotive with a pipe.