Long-Term Geomorphic History of Georgia

Abstract

This chapter discusses the location of Georgia, its orographic units, geological and geomorphological structure, zones and zoning. The Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic sediments; Jurassic and Cretaceous formations; Palaeogenic, Oligocene and Miocene sediments; Pliocene and Quaternary formations (Pleistocene and Holocene) are described. The three main geomorphological zones such as the Greater Caucasus, Georgia’s intermountain plain, and Southern highland of Georgia are described. Within Georgia, the Neogene and Quaternary volcanisms (Late Miocene–Early Pliocene, Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene, Middle and Late Pleistocene, and Holocene) are characterized. We do not provide the description of the Late Pleistocene glaciation of the Georgian Caucasus in this chapter, because a separate monograph directly about the glaciers of Georgia has been published.