Sulak Canyon

43°00′34″N 46°49′40″E / 43.00944°N 46.82778°E / 43.00944; 46.82778

Sulak Canyon
The Sulak River flowing through the Sulak Canyon
Floor elevationapprox. 1,920 metres (6,300 ft)
Length53 kilometres (33 mi)
Geography
LocationDagestan, Russia
Coordinates43°00′34″N 46°49′40″E / 43.00944°N 46.82778°E / 43.00944; 46.82778
RiversSulak River

The Sulak Canyon (Avar: Сулахъ кӏкIал, Russian: Сулакский каньон) is a steep-sided deepest canyon in Europe carved by the Sulak River in Dagestan, Russia.[1] The Sulak Canyon is 53 kilometres (33 mi) long, and attains a depth of over a mile (1,920 meters or 6,300 feet).[2] It is 63 meters deeper than the Grand Canyon in the US and 620 meters deeper than the Tara River Canyon in Balkans.[3]

Geography

The canyon is the result of erosion which exposes one of the most complete geologic columns on the planet. Within this natural site, sediments of the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Tertiary periods come to the surface, in each of which ancient fossils are found. The Sulak canyon is located in the central part of Dagestan, in the valley of the Sulak river, some 100 km away from Makhachkala.

Flora and fauna

Waterfall and flora in the canyon

The Sulak canyon is the largest nesting settlement in the Russian Federation of rare vulture birds listed in the Red Data Book, such as griffon vultures and black vultures.[4]

Plants

Some endemic, rare and poorly studied plant species, such as, horned sainfoin, have survived on the territory of the canyon.[5]

Sulak Canyon tourism

Sulak Canyon is a natural attraction in Dagestan.

References

  1. ^ "Сулакский каньон в Дагестане захлестнул туристический поток". mkala.mk.ru. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  2. ^ "На Сулакском каньоне Дагестана пройдет фестиваль горного чая в августе". РИА Новости (in Russian). 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  3. ^ "Аура Сулакского каньона". Dagpravda.ru. 2018-09-20. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  4. ^ "Дагестанский Гранд Каньон". Новое Дело (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  5. ^ Ф. П. Цахуева, И. А. Агабалаев (2016). "Ксерофиты Семейства Бобовых В Предгорном Дагестане" (in Russian). Vol. 4, no. 20. Вестник Социально-Педагогического Института. ISSN 2226-0188.
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