The elevation of the central mountains of these three mountain ranges is approximately 1000 – 2000 meters.[1] The height of high mountains of the Greater Caucasus is higher than 2200 meters and the Lesser Caucasus is higher than 2000 meters.[1]
The Greater Caucasus range forms the north-east borders of Azerbaijan with Dagestan Autonomous Republic of Russia.[4]Bazarduzu, Shahdagh, and Tufandag are the high peaks of the mountain range.[5] The highest peak of the Greater Caucasus is Mount Bazarduzu, which is situated 14,652 feet (4,466 meters) above the sea level, is also the highest point in Azerbaijan.[3][5] The mountains of the Greater Caucasus are located in the region of high degree of seismic activity.[5] The mountains are formed by rocks that date back to Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.[2]
The Lesser Caucasus is the second important mountain range in Azerbaijan and forms its south-western borders.[5]Mount Murovdag and Mount Zangezur are the main ridges of the Lesser Caucasus.[5] They are formed by sedimentary and volcanogenic rocks of Cretaceous and Jurassic periods.[2]
Bazarduzu (AzerbaijaniBazardüzü) - is the highest mountain in Azerbaijan (4466 m)
Bazarduzu
The highest peak of the Greater Caucasus, Mount Bazarduzu, is the highest mountain in Azerbaijan.[3][6] It lies on the borders between Azerbaijan and Russia.[3] The rocks of Mount Bazarduzu are formed of shale porphyries.[7] Ice fields that consist of glaciers from Ice Age on the mountain are the biggest glaciers in the Eastern Caucasus.[7]
The first person who climbed the Mount Bazarduzu was Aleksej Aleksandrov from Russia in 1847.[3][7]
The elevation of Mount Shahdagh is 13,951 feet (4,252 m), which is the second highest peak in the Greater Caucasus.[3][8] The mountain is located near to the border with Russia, in Gusar region of Azerbaijan.[3] There are caves at the base of the Mount Shahdagh, which show manmade activities around the mountain for over 9000 years.[3] The rocks of the mountain are formed by dolomites and limestones.[8]
Tufandag
Tufandağ is the third highest mountain in Azerbaijan with the height of 13,770 feet (4,200 m).).[3] Mount Tufandag lies in the Gusar region.[9]
Within the Lesser Caucasus, the highest mountain ridge is Murovdag.[10] The range of the mountain is approximately 70 kilometers.[10]
Gamishdag
Mount Kaputjukh
The highest peak of the Murovdag ridge is Gamishdag and its elevation is 3724 meters.[11]
Zangezur
The Zangezur mountain ridge bordered with Aghdaban peak in north-west and Araz river in south-east.[12] The range of the Zangezur ridge is approximately 130 kilometers.[12] In the center and south-east parts of the ridge, there are Gamigaya, Kaputjukh, Garangush, Davabouynu, Aychingil peaks.[12] Prominent mountains of the Zangezur ridge are Nahajir, Alinja, Ilandag, Gurddag, and Gizilboghaz mountains.[12]
Kaputjukh
Mount Kaputjukh is the highest peak of the Zangezur ridge and the highest mountain in the Lesser Caucasus.[11][13] The height of the mountain is 3904 meters.[11][13] It lies in Ordubad region of Nakhchivan.[13] There are ancient Gamigaya inscriptions on the rocks that are at the bottom of the mountain.[13]
Alinja
Mount Alinja
Mount Alinja is located in Julfa region of Nakhchivan, on the shore of the river with the same name as mountain.[13] The elevation of Mount Alinja is 1811 meters.[13] It has volcanic origins.[13]
Talysh mountains are located in the south – east of Azerbaijan. There are three mountain ridge within the Talysh mountains, which of elevations reach 2477 meters.[2] They are Talysh, Burovar, and Peshteser.[2] There are few peaks that of heights are above 3,000 meters (9,800 feet).[15] The rocks of the mountains originated from volcanic rocks and carbonate rocks that date back to the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Paleogene periods.[15]
Kyumyurkyoy
The highest peak of Talysh mountains is the Mount Kyumyurkyoy (2493 meters).[5]
Gizyurdu
Mount Gizyurdu is the second highest peak of Talysh mountains with the height of 2433 meters.[14]
The elevation of Mount Goyazan is located 20 kilometers far from Qazakh district of Azerbaijan.[16] Its elevation is 250 meters.[16] The mountain has volcanic origin and it is not connected to any mountain ridges.[16] At the bottom of the mountain, there are ancient dwellings.[16]
Yanar Dag
Yanar Dag is located 27 kilometers far from Baku.[17] On the surface of Yanar Dag, there are fires of natural gas that flames continuously, and their height reaches to 10–15 meters.[17]
The historical-cultural and natural reserve was established in the territory of Yanar Dag by the presidential decree dated May 2, 2007.[17]
^ abcAlizadeh, Akif; Guliyev, Ibrahim; Kadirov, Fakhraddin; Eppelbaum, Lev (2016). Geosciences of Azerbaijan: Volume I: Geology. Switzerland: Springer. ISBN9783319273952.
^ abcdBudagov, Budag (2005). Naxçıvan ensiklopediyası: II cild (in Azerbaijani). Nakhchivan. ISBN5-8066-1468-9.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ abcdefgBunyadov, Teymur (2005). Naxçıvan ensiklopediyası: I cild (in Azerbaijani). Nakhchivan. ISBN5-8066-1468-9.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
