Egrisi Range
Egrisi Range, also known as the Samegrelo Range or the Odishi Range, is an east–west mountain range that runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia. The Range is connected to the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range via the Svaneti Range. The length of the Egrisi Range is and the width is. The Range is bounded by the Tskhenistsqali River Valley to the east and the Enguri River Valley to the west.
The highest point of the Egrisi Range is Mount Chitagvala which rises to an elevation of above sea level. Peaks that exceed in elevation include Tsalmagi, Tekhurishdudi, Lakumurashdudi, Didghalidudi, Otepura and others. The name of the range is derived from the early medieval Georgian region of Egrisi, roughly equivalent to the Colchis of Classical Antiquity.
Geology
Most of the Egrisi Range is composed of porphyritic rock that dates back to the Jurassic Age. The southern periphery of the Range consists of Triassic limestones. There are many karst massives and caves in this portion of the Mountains. There are small glaciers and traces of old glaciers at the highest elevations of the Range. The glacial lake Tobavarchkhili is located at an elevation of above sea level. Other lakes include Okhoja and Didi Tobavarchkhili.Climate
The southern slopes receive precipitation in excess of per year, with some of the higher peaks receiving precipitation that exceeds. The northern slopes of the Egrisi Range receive of annual precipitation. Most of the mountains are covered by significant amounts of snow in the colder months. Many locations reach snow depths of or more, with the highest elevations of the Range recording snow depths in the range.In the center of the Range near the head of the Tekhuri river at an elevation of 1600 meters is the Lebarde balneological resort. It was originally set up in the Soviet era, but has since been more or less abandoned, operating with limited infrastructure. In 2019 a new road leading to Lebarde was announced for further development of the area with sanatoriums, hotels and ropeways.