The History of the Formation of Pliocene–Quaternary Valley Lava Rivers in the Northeast Part of the Javakheti Volcanic Highland, Lesser Caucasus

This paper presents new results from geological-stratigraphic and isotope geochronological studies of young lavas in the northeast part of the Javakheti Highland, Lesser Caucasus, Georgia. We provide a first description of the Algeti complex-structured valley lava flow about 55 km in total length; no information on this feature is available in the geological literature. We show that young magmatism in the northeast part of the Javakheti region has been evolving in the time interval of 3.2–1.5 Ma B.P. Its earlier phases have produced the longest (up to 100 km) valley basaltic lava river of those known in the Lesser Caucasus (the Khrami flow) (3.19 ± 0.10 Ma B.P.). Subsequently (2.7–2.5 Ma B.P.), the eruptions continued to form extensive lava plateaus there (Tsalka, Gomareti, and other plateaus). In the Late Piacentian–Early Gelasian (2.7–2.0 Ma B.P.) the active vents in the northern Javakheti Range started to form the Algeti basaltoid valley flow, with this process lasting for ~1 Ma. The terminal phase of its formation (1.9–1.5 Ma B.P.) was probably related to eruptions of the volcanic cones in the area of Lake Tabatskuri. These data, along with the reconstruction of the history of young magmatism, enabled us to trace the main patterns in the generation of the present-day relief and the network of river valleys in the area of study in the Lesser Caucasus.