Environmental and Social Management Framework (esmf)

Description of the Physical Environment

1. 
   Landscape
   

37. 
    Azerbaijan is characterized by a diverse landscape. There are two major forms of landscape-plains and mountains. Mountains cover 60% of the total area of Azerbaijan.³
    
38. 
    The principle geomorphological structures in Azerbaijan – Greater Caucasus, Lesser Caucasus (with Garabagh plateau) and Talysh mountains - surround the Kur-Araz lowland in the north, west and south-east.
    
39. 
    The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic is situated in the mid course of the River Araz and within the boundaries of Zengezur and Dereleyez mountain chains, fringing with the river.
    
40. 
    The average altitude of the territory of Azerbaijan is up to 400 meters. But the lowland of the Caspian Sea shore is below sea level (currently -26.5 meters) while the highest peak Bazarduzu is 4466 meters in height. Thus, one can see that the difference in altitude equals nearly 4500 meters in the country. The northern part of the Greater Caucasus is situated in Azerbaijan. Two mountain chains are distinguished in this part: Head or Watershed chain with Bazarduzu (4466 meters) and Great (Side) chain of mountains with Shahdag alp (4243). Mountains chains go down to 1000-700 meters to the south-east. The mountain chains of the Greater Caucasus are surrounded by foothill areas: a steppe plateau to the north-west, Qobustan to the south-east, Alazan-Ayrichay plain to the south-west and Qusar sloping plain to the north-east.
    
41. 
    The Lesser Caucasus surrounds the country in the south-west and west and is composed of a number of chains and plateaus with relatively low height.
    
42. 
    Murovdag, Shahdag and Zangezur are the principal chains of the Lesser Caucasus. Garabagh plateau, extending from the south of Murovdag up to the river Araz, lies on the cones of extinct vulcanos and quaternary lava.
    
43. 
    The Lesser Caucasus is formed by Jurassic and Cretaceous volcanogene and sedimentary rocks.
    
44. 
    Talysh mountains cover the south-east of the country. They are composed mainly of Tertiary sediments. Talysh mountains are the chain of transition from the Lesser Caucasus to Elbrus mountains in Iran. They consist of three mountain chains, reaching 2477 meters in height and a number of their ranges.
    
45. 
    Kur-Araz lowland lies on the area between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and Talysh Mountains. As the largest intermontane lowland in the entire Transcaucasia it covers the central part of the country.
    
46. 
    The Kur and Araz rivers divide the lowland into five plains: Shirvan, Qarabagh, Mil, Mughan and Salyan plains.
    
47. 
    Samur-Devechi lowland, resting on Qusar sloping plain on the Caspian Sea shore, streches from Absheron peninsula to the north. Lenkeran lowland runs from the Absheron Peninsula to the south on the foothills of Talysh mountains. Kur-Araz, Samur-Devechi, Lenkeran lowlands and most part of the Absheron peninsula lie below sea level.
    

Figure 2. Physical map

2. 
   Climate
   

48. 
    The climate in Azerbaijan is majorly influenced by geographical position, landscape and the Caspian Sea. The semi-desert and dry, subtropic, temperate and frigid types of climate dominate in the country. Dry subtropical climate is typical for Kur-Araz lowland and Absheron.
    
49. 
    Temperate climate observed in the slopes of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, where Tovuz district is located, mainly covered with forests is divided into dry, warm-temperate dry, warm-temperate damp and temperate zones. Frigid climate is typical of high mountain ranges, at the tops of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, alpine, subalpine meadows.
    
50. 
    The average annual temperatures equal 15⁰C on the plains while in high mountain regions they fall even below zero. Temperatures reach 25-27⁰C in Aran regions and 5C in mountain regions in July. The absolute maximum is 43⁰C, while the minimum is lower than -3⁰C.
    
51. 
    Precipitations equal 200-300 mm in Kur-Araz lowland, 600-800 mm on north-eastern slopes of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus.
    
52. 
    Predominant winds blow to north (the Absheron peninsula), south-west (Kur-Araz lowland) and west (Lenkeran lowland).
    

Figure 3. Mean annual precipitation and temperature in Azerbaijan

3. 
   Geology
   

53. 
    The territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan forms a constituent geological part of the Alpine folded belt. Sedimentary deposits embracing the southwestern parts of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, including the intermountain Kur-River trough, as well as the Mid- and South Caspian basins consist of diversity fold systems. The Earth's crust thickness in Azerbaijan varies in the range from 38 to 55 km. Geological setting of the area consists of sedimentary, volcanic-sedimentary, volcanic and terrestrial deposits embracing almost entire stratigraphic range beginning from pre-Cambrian period up to Holocene time.
    
54. 
    Mesozoic and Cenozoic eugeosynclinal, miogeosynclinal and molasse deposits are most ubiquitous among the others. As for Paleozoic sub-cratonic and the Alpine pre-Cambrian-Paleozoic metamorphic deposits occupy much smaller areas.
    
55. 
    The Kur River intermontane trough has been developed over a long geologic time span. However, its recent geometry was shaped only during the Oligocene-Quaternary time span. Kur River trough is considered to be an inherited structure so the uppermost sedimentary fill uncomfortably overlies the base structural complex. The Kur River trough is divided into two sub-basins by transversal uplifts; The Middle Kur River subbasin (Upper Kur River subbasin is located in Georgia) and The Lower Kur River ones.
    
56. 
    The Lesser Caucasus southeast trending foredeep trough is extended parallel to the Lesser Caucasus Somhety-Aghdam zone. Its overburden consists of Paleogene flysch type deposits and Neogene-Antropogenic molasse formations; its northwest border is observed along Kur-River fault clearly visible up to Yevlakh town, and along a flexure extended between Barda-Beylagah line, although foredeepwest border is limited by pre-Lesser Caucasus fault, its southwest border is twisting (meandering).
    

Figure 4. Geologic Map in Azerbaijan

4.