Mount Elbrus

Mount Elbrus, mountain, southern European Russia, just north of the border with Georgia. Elbrus is the highest summit of the Caucasus Mountains and the highest peak in Europe. Mount Elbrus was created by volcanic eruptions 2 million years ago. The volcano is now extinct, but the continuing crustal instability of the Greater Caucasus periodically shakes the region with severe earthquakes.

Mount Elbrus has two craters, reaching heights of 5,642 m (18,510 ft) and 5,595 m (18,356 ft) above sea level. There are several massive glaciers on the mountain which feed the Kuban and other rivers. It is a major centre of tourism and mountaineering in the Caucasus.