Shkëlzen
| Shkëlzen | |
|---|---|
 View of Shkëlzen with Valbona River flowing through the nearby village | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,405 m (7,890 ft) |
| Prominence | 384 m (1,260 ft) |
| Isolation | 6.9 km (4.3 mi) |
| Coordinates | 42°25′37″N 19°43′32″E / 42.426817°N 19.725519°E |
| Geography | |
  Shkëlzen | |
| Country |  Albania |
| Region | Northern Mountain Region |
| Municipality | Tropojë |
| Parent range | Accursed Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Mesozoic |
| Mountain type | mountain |
| Rock type(s) | limestone, dolomite, flysch |
Shkëlzen (def. 'Shkëlzeni') is a mountain situated in the Albanian Alps, bounded by the Tropojë river valley to the northeast, the Gashi river valley to the southwest, and the Tropojë basin to the southeast. It is the higher of the two peaks, Maja e Shkëlzenit, reaching a height of 2,405 m (7,890 ft).[1]
Geology
[edit]Composed primarily of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite, the mountain has an anticlinal structure, with a band of flysch emerging in the north and south. It forms a sharp ridge between the northeastern peak (Shkëlzen) and the southwestern peak of Radesha 2,314 m (7,592 ft), marked by steep slopes that descend sharply into the valleys. Two glacial troughs divide the mountain's summit, and both peaks show distinctive pyramid-like shapes with sharp edges.
Vegetation is scarce, with shrubs and pines found on its slopes.[2]