Mount Smolikas ( el, Σμόλικας; rup, Smolcu) is a mountain in the
Ioannina regional unit, northwestern
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. At a height of 2,637 metres above sea level, it is the highest of the
Pindus Mountains, and the second highest mountain in Greece after
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, ...
. The mountain consists of
ophiolite
An ophiolite is a section of Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed above sea level and often emplaced onto continental crustal rocks.
The Greek word ὄφις, ''ophis'' (''snake'') is found ...
rocks. During several periods in the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed i ...
the northern and eastern cirques and valleys were glaciated. The last
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
s of this area retreated around 11,500 years ago.
It is drained by the river
Vjosa to the south, and the river Vourkopotamo (a tributary of the
Sarantaporos) to the north. There is a small alpine lake called "
Drakolimni Smolika" near the summit, at about 2,200 metres elevation. Nearby mountain ranges are
Tymfi to the south,
Gramos to the northwest,
Vasilitsa to the southeast and
Voio
Voio ( el, Βόιο, ''Vóio''; grc, Βόιον - ''Boeon'') is a mountain range in the southwestern Kastoria and western Kozani regional units in Greece. The mountain is part of the Pindus mountains. Its highest elevation is 1,805 m. It is a d ...
to the northeast.
The higher elevations, above 2,000 metres, consist of grasslands and rocks, and there are deciduous and conifer forests at lower elevations. The mountain lies completely within the municipality of
Konitsa
Konitsa ( el, Κόνιτσα; see also names in other languages) is a town of Ioannina in Epirus, Greece. It is located north of the capital Ioannina and near the Albanian border. Northeast of Konitsa lies a group of villages known as the Zagor ...
, the main villages around the mountain being
Agia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi ( el, Αγία Παρασκευή, ''Agía Paraskeví'') is a suburb and a municipality in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It is part of the North Athens regional unit. Agia Paraskevi was named after th ...
to the north, and
Palaioselli,
Pades and
Armata to the south. The town Konitsa lies 15 km southwest of Smolikas. The
Greek National Road 20 (
Kozani
Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea ...
-
Siatista
Siatista ( el, Σιάτιστα) is a town and a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. I ...
- Konitsa -
Ioannina
Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the ci ...
) passes west of the mountain.
References
External links
Greek Mountain Flora"Smólikas Óros, Greece" on Peakbagger
Two-thousanders of Greece
Landforms of Ioannina (regional unit)
Mountains of Epirus (region)
Pindus
Natura 2000 in Greece
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