Mountain Snake description and photos - Russia - Caucasus: Mineralnye Vody (Topic)

Mountain Snake description and photos - Russia - Caucasus: Mineral Waters. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

Natural monument & nbsp; - Mount Zmeika - a remnant magmatic mountain on the Caucasian Mineral Waters in Pyatigorye. The height of the mountain is 994 m. In old documents the mountain is called "Zhlak-tau" - translated from the Turkic "snake mountain". It probably got this name from a series of narrow, winding ravines that cut through the eastern slope of the mountain and resemble snakes in shape. After the development of beshtownite, the slope lost its appearance. According to other assumptions, there were once a lot of snakes in this area.

The upper part of the mountain is composed of subvolcanic intrusion of beshtounites, which form a picturesque rocky outcropping. The lower part of the slope is composed mainly of Paleogene-Lower Neogene clay shales of the Maikop series.

Mount Zmeyka is covered with mountain meadow and forest vegetation. It is dominated by hornbeam-beech and hornbeam-ash-oak forest, numbering more than 60 species of shrubs and trees. Of the rare and valuable plant species on Mount Zmeika grow dwarf euonymus, long wild rose, oriental beech, Nefedov's cotoneaster, Caucasian ash, lily, and several species of hawk. The fauna of the mountain is also quite diverse.

On the eastern slope of the mountain, the locals discovered an unusual stone structure, in which they found many clay shards. The masonry was done by hand and a long time ago. About ten meters from the site of the archaeological find there is a sheer cliff, and a little higher - a natural pile of stones, which resembles an ancient altar.

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Topic: Mountain Snake description and photos - Russia - Caucasus: Mineralnye Vody.