ISSN 1028-334X, Doklady Earth Sciences, 2009, Vol. 429, No. 8, pp. 1318–1321. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2009. Original Russian Text © Yu.P. Masurenkov, A.L. Sobisevich, D.V. Likhodeev, A.V. Shevchenko, 2009, published in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2009, Vol. 428, No. 5, pp. 667–670. 1318 Amongst the thermal anomalies of Northern Cau- casus, the region of Elbrus volcanic center holds first place because the Elbrus is an active volcano in a rest- ing state [4, 9]. It has been determined that the periph- eral and parent magmatic chambers of the volcano are located at depths of 0–7 and 20–30 km below sea level, respectively, and the geothermal gradient beneath the volcano is 100°C/km [1, 5, 8]. The obtained data show presence of a substantial thermal effect of the volcano root system on its outer environ- ment, which is reflected in the temperature regime of carbonaceous mineral waters (CMW) [4, 6]. At present, in relation to the newly obtained data on ther- mal anomalies in the region of Elbrus volcanic center [9, 10], it is important to clarify the effect of the char- acter of volcanic magmatic chambers on the tempera- ture of carbonaceous mineral waters. In this study, analysis of processes of modern heat outflux produced by carbonaceous springs in the Elbrus Region is made with respect to new data on the depths of fluid-mag- matic structures of the Elbrus volcano. Most geological–geophysical processes related to formation of life cycle of volcanic centers are deter- mined by magmatic structures, including geothermal activity. Estimation of energy fluxes became possible thanks to investigation of the geological–geophysical structure of the Elbrus volcanic center and the thermal properties of the environment, which determine the pattern of observed thermal anomalies [9, 10]. The migration of deep fluids to the surface through fault- block structures leads to the formation of thermal anomalies of various scales, which are revealed in changes in the CMW thermal regime. The temperatures of CMW in the Elbrus region and adjacent territories (more than 500 springs in all) measured in natural conditions varied insufficiently (7–12°C); the temperature is seldom below 3–5°C or above 15°C. Exceptions are warm narzans near the western and northern flank of the Elbrus (17–22°C). In Fig. 1, the smoothed temperature trend of carbon- aceous mineral waters in the Elbrus region is shown, which is obtained as the average value of water temper- ature of mineral springs over an area of 400 km 2 using the method of moving square with a ten-kilometer step. The notable thing is the distinct difference in temperatures of carbonaceous mineral waters of the northern and southern slopes of the Main Caucasian ridge; the temperature is higher in the south. This con- dition is also revealed in the average values of spring temperatures; for the north and south they are 8.2 and 11.2°C, respectively. Moreover, within the northern slope, in the direction from the Main Caucasian ridge to the foothills and plain, a general tendency is observed, which is revealed in a slight increase in aver- age temperature, from 7.8°C in the high-altitudinal part of the Elbrus Region up to 9.5°C in the mid-alti- tudinal one. The obtained data provide foundation for an assumption on the particular role played by the cli- mate factor in formation of the water temperature of carbonaceous springs. In this relation, let us reveal the dependence between water temperature and debit of springs. It is obvious a priori that the influence of deep heating on water should remain with some probability for high-debit springs, while the low-debit springs are more affected by surface climate features; the low- debit springs are easier to cool or heat, i.e., to reach a temperature balance with environment. Thus, the rev- elation of a direct dependence between water temper- ature and spring debit would help to determine the relict nature of relatively high temperature in high- debit springs. The absence of such a quantitative rela- tion between temperature and debit would testify to the prevalence of surface factors, which levels the pos- sible contribution of the deep temperature effect on the carbonaceous water of springs. Thermal Anomalies of the Northern Caucasus Yu. P. Masurenkov a , A. L. Sobisevich a , D. V. Likhodeev a , and A. V. Shevchenko b Presented by Academician V.N. Strakhov February 11, 2009 Received March 4, 2009 DOI: 10.1134/S1028334X09080170 a Schmidt Joint Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia b Kabardino-Balkarian State University, Nal’chik GEOPHYSICS