Geodiversity assessment of Shkodra Region, Albania

Shkodra Region, with an area of 953.64 km², is located in north-western part of Albania. It is one of the richest geosite region of Albania, starting from the Lake Shkodra as the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula, through the Adriatic sea shore, and up to the North Albanian Alps with a height of 2694 m and several glacial morphological features. In the region there are several caves in the mountains, three main rivers: Buna, Drini and Kiri, and nature reserves: the Theth National Park, and the Maranai Park. Due to its geological position in the Eastern Alpine Mediterranean Belt, there are diverse geological formations in Shkodra Region. The Mesozoic marine sediments (Triassic dolomite, limestones and shales, Jurassic limestone, marl, and Cretaceous carbonates) and Paleogene flysch make up a significant part of the surface geology, but Late Permian and younger Cenozoic sediments are also present in the area. Such a variety of geological, geomorphological, pedological and hydrological features can be best described in terms of geodiversity.

This study aims to present a quantitative assessment of geodiversity for the Shkodra Region. The geodiversity indexes were calculated using different data, such as MERIT Hydro Digital Elevation Model, existing geological and soil maps, and spatial databases such as the EGDI (European Geological Data Infrastructure). The method followed is based on Pereira et al. (2013) and Pál & Albert (2021).

Why is it important to present Shkodra's geodiversity? The area is a tourist destination due to it’s natural values as well as it’s cultural heritage like Rozafa Castle with a 4000 - years old history and Illyrian origins, Historical Museum of Shkodra, Marubi National Museum of Photography, etc. The abundance of cultural and natural values of an area make it suitable to geopark establishment which can help the local economy in a sustainable way. Although the establishment of such an park in the area was already recommended (Serjani A., 2020), the important step of scientific assessment was not executed. This assessment is the first to demonstrate the complex diversity of geoscientific features in the Shkodra Region.

 

References

Pál, M., & Albert, G. (2021). Refinement proposals for geodiversity assessment—a case study in the Bakony–Balaton UNESCO Global Geopark, Hungary. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10080566

Pereira, D. I., Pereira, P., Brilha, J., & Santos, L. (2013). Geodiversity assessment of Paraná State (Brazil): An innovative approach. Environmental Management, 52(3), 541–552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-013-0100-2

Serjani, A. (2020). Geoheritage and Geotourism in Albania. In The Geotourism Industry in the 21st Century (pp. 169-188). Apple Academic Press.