Glaciers of Georgia

[1] [2] The spatial distribution of contemporary glaciers in the territory of Georgia is stipulated by the peculiarities of atmospheric processes, morphological-morphometric conditions of the relief and their interaction.

As for the basins of the rivers of Liakhvi, Assa, Khobistskali, Arghuni, Aragvi and Kelasuri, their joint share is 1.07% of the total area of the glaciers of Georgia.

[“There are big mountains, which have the Caucasus to the North from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, the height of which is of one day walking and the highest of it is permanently frosty, the length of the ice is of k-l arm, and in summer it breaks and, if a man stays there, he cannot endure the cold even for a little time; and under it the rivers flow, and the ice is green and red, as a rock due to its age”].

Information about the glaciers of Georgia can be found in the works of von Abich (1865), Gustav Radde (1873), N. Dinnik (1884),[4] N. Rashevskiy (1904),[5] A. L. Reinhardt (1916, 1917)[6] and others.

A. L. Reinhardt (1916, 1917) noted these errors further, who compiled the new catalogue for many glacial basins of the investigated region and defined the location of the snow line.

T. Kikalishvili, G. Kurdghelaidze, D. Tabidze, R. Khazaradze, O. Nikolaishvili, V. Tsomaia, O. Drobishevi, R. Shengelia, R. Gobejishvili, K. Mgeladze, T. Lashkhi, Sh.

Inashvili, N. Golodovskaia, L. Serebryannii, A. Orlov, O. Nadirashvili, N. Zakarashvili, A. Rekhviashvili, O. Samadbegishvili and others studied the glaciers of Georgia according to the river basins.

The largest glaciers of the different river basins were surveyed by the phototheodolite method,[10] such as: Zopkhito-Laboda, Kirtisho, Brili, Chasakhtomi, Edena, Khvargula, Boko, Buba, Tbilisa, Adishi, Chalaati, Dolra, Kvishi, Ladevali, Shkhara, Namkvani, Koruldashi, Marukhi, Klichi and the cirque type glaciers of the Klichi basin.