Do not trust solid encyclopedic dictionaries, including those published recently, which report that the two-headed handsome Elbrus is the summit of an extinct volcano. This is not true. It turns out that it is not extinct at all, but, as shown by serious studies of leading Russian institutes and laboratories, "a potentially active and very dangerous volcano." Moreover, experts are recording more and more threatening signs that Elbrus, after 1800 years of sleepy lull, is beginning to wake up.
Many experts consider Elbrus one of the most potentially dangerous volcanoes on the territory of our country. Over the course of its long history, it has many times thrown out giant streams of incandescent lava, which flowed down either along the southern and western slopes, then along the northern. After each series of powerful eruptions, the volcano fell asleep for a long time. At first, periods of calm lasted about 50 thousand years, then this interval was reduced to 1.5-3 thousand. The last three eruptions, as studies of frozen lava flows have shown, occurred 6 thousand years ago, more than 3 thousand and 1.8 thousand. years old. The trend clearly indicates that a new eruption could occur as early as this century. Some experts believe that we still have several decades or even centuries in reserve, but others warn: the danger is growing every year,the volcano quickly wakes up and can explode much earlier.
During previous eruptions, Elbrus clearly showed its power. A layer of ash up to 70 centimeters thick (almost to the hip!) Was discovered 700 kilometers away - along the left bank of the Volga between Akhtubinsk and Astrakhan.
The rapid melting of ice during eruptions is especially dangerous. Elbrus has 11 cubic kilometers of ice. For comparison: if it all melts, then there will be so much water that it would be enough to flood, for example, Moscow within the Moscow Ring Road with a 10-meter layer. Only the fourth and higher floors would remain above the water. During the eruption of Elbrus, gigantic streams of warm melt water will fall down and flood vast territories of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia … The shaft, many meters in height, will have a terrible destructive force. It will cover and rapidly destroy dozens of settlements. That is why it is so important to carefully monitor the awakening of volcanoes and timely evacuate the population from dangerous areas …
Three years ago, the American satellite Terra transmitted to Earth photographs of the eruption of the Belinda volcano (1370 meters) in the Antarctic on Montagu Island, covered with a thick layer of ice. Special interest of specialists, according to Live Science, was caused by the fact that for the first time it was possible to observe how the fiery element breaks out from under the ice shell. Lava, like a giant waterfall, flowed into the ocean. "The red-hot stream has formed a river 90 meters wide, which moves at a speed of several meters per second, increasing the area of the island in its northern part," commented British scientist Dr. John Smeley. One can imagine what catastrophic consequences for the entire south of Russia the eruption of Elbrus will bring.
For many years, volcanoes in the Caucasus have been observed by specialists from almost a dozen Russian scientific centers and laboratories. These are the academic institutes of geology of ore deposits, petrography, mineralogy and geochemistry; physics of the Earth; volcanology and seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky; geography; Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc. Research is carried out on a broad front. Study the composition and origin of rocks. With the help of satellite systems, GPS measurements of the speed of vertical and horizontal movements of the earth's crust are made. The temperature is determined by remote sensing in infrared rays. In a word, geochemical, isotopic, geophysical, satellite studies, helium photography allow you to look into the underworld,and also constantly monitor changes in glaciological conditions on the slopes of the mountains.
No one today is able to give an accurate forecast of when the sleeping giant will wake up. This can happen in 50 years, and in six months. This means that this problem must be taken as seriously as possible.