Russian Journal of Earth Sciences
Vol. 6, No. 4, August 2004
Activity of Elbrus Volcano (North Caucasus)
A. G. Gurbanov1, A. L. Sobisevich2, L. E. Sobisevich2,
Yu. N. Nechaev2, V. N. Arbuzkin3,
N. I. Prutskii3, E. A. Trofimenko3, I. I. Grekov3
1 Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy,
and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow;
2 Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Moscow
3 Federal Caucasus Geological Survey
Abstract
This paper summarizes the results of the work done by Russian geoscientists in the
area
of Elbrus volcanic center from the end of the XX to the beginning of the XXI century.
It is shown that the
results of the geological and geophysical studies of the Elbrus Volcano, including
the dating of its historic
eruptions, the anomalous velocities of longitudinal waves, the regions of low resistivity,
poor tectonic
dislocations, the gravity and temperature anomalies, and the resonance specifics
of the igneous rocks
suggest that Elbrus is an active volcano underlain by molten igneous rocks. The geological
characteristics
obtained in this study for the geological structures in the Elbrus area can be used
for the mathematical
modeling of the wave processes induced in the layered rocks of this volcanic cone.