BluestSky
Mount Elbrus is the tallest mountain in Europe. It’s also one of the “Seven Summits” (the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents). Mount Elbrus’s tallest peak is 18,510 feet (5,642 m) tall.
Mount Elbrus is located in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia. The Caucasus mountains are in southwestern Russia where Europe and Asia intersect. Mount Elbrus sits between two large bodies of water—the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
Mount Elbrus isn’t actually a mountain—it’s an extinct volcano. The volcano formed over 2.5 million years ago. It has not erupted for about 2,000 years; however, Mount Elbrus still emits sulfurous gases. There are many mineral springs that flow from Mount Elbrus.
Much of Mount Elbrus is covered in snow and ice. Mount Elbrus has 22 glaciers. Most of the glaciers feed into the Kuban River.
The temperature at the top of Mount Elbrus is cold. Even in summer, it’s 18° Fahrenheit (-8° C) below the snowline. Above the snowline, it can be as cold as -22° Fahrenheit (-30 C).
Ancient people called Mount Elbrus, “Strobilus,” meaning “pine cone.” This refers to Mount Elbrus’s twisted shape.
Today, the indigenous people that live in the Caucasus Mountains call Mount Elbrus, “Mingi-Tau.” This means, “resembling a thousand mountains.” This is because of Mount Elbrus’s massive size.
