Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 metres above sea level, is the highest peak in the Caucasus Mountains. It is often cited as the highest peak in Europe, standing 832 metres taller than Mont Blanc, which reaches 4,810 metres. Whether Elbrus belongs to Europe or Asia depends on where the continental boundary is drawn.
The Caucasus Mountains formed from a tectonic collision between the Arabian plate moving northward and the Eurasian plate, which pressed the Iranian plate between them. Rocks deposited in the resulting basin from the Jurassic through the Miocene folded to create the Greater Caucasus. The uplift of the Greater Caucasus is dated to the Miocene during the Alpine orogeny.
The Spitak earthquake struck in December 1988 and destroyed the Gyumri-Vanadzor region of Armenia. It is one of the most devastating seismic events documented in the Caucasus in historical times. The region remains seismically active due to ongoing faulting and crustal shortening.
The Mt. Achishkho region is the snowiest place in the Caucasus, often recording snow depths of 7 metres. In Svaneti and northern Abkhazia, snow cover can reach 5 metres. Avalanches across the Greater Caucasus are common from November to April.
The Caucasus Mountains formed an important section of the northern arm of the Silk Road. Key passes used by traders included the Jvari Pass at 2,379 metres, the Mamison Pass at 2,911 metres, the Roki Tunnel at 2,310 metres, and the pass at Derbent, known as the Caspian Gates or Gates of Alexander.
The Greater Caucasus is mainly composed of folded sedimentary Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks, with Paleozoic and Precambrian material at higher elevations. The Lesser Caucasus is predominantly formed of Paleogene rocks with a much smaller proportion of Jurassic and Cretaceous material, and is largely of volcanic rather than sedimentary origin.