The Dinaric Alps span the Adriatic Sea and are known as the fifth most mountainous area in Europe. Located in Southern Europe the mountain range spans across at least six countries including Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Albania. The high peaks of the range are made primarily out of sedimentary rocks formed by oceans and waters that previously covered the area. The sedimentary materials known to be found in the mountains include dolomite, limestone, and sand.
About fifty to one-hundred million years ago during the Alpine earth movements there were an expansive amount of lateral pressures that caused a folding of the rocks to occur. Folding is a form of diastrophism, by which a mountain is created due to the folding of layers on the upper parts of Earths crusts. Within this motion the rocks were thrust upward and formed an arc shape around the northeast.
In Croatia the highest peak of the mountain range (portion in Croatia) is known as Dinara. This peak being the highest peak in Croatia is known to be in the shape of a human head. The peak is named after an ancient tribe that was believed to live on the back side of the slope.
When looking at the mountains themselves one can see a large amount of anticlines, which are folds in an upward direction that house their oldest materials in their core. As well, a person could easily see quite a bito f hogbacks located throughout the mountain range. Since the mountain range was formed through the process of folding the presence of horsts and grabens is quite minimal. However, in a few pictures of the mountain range one could easily make out the presence of flatirons at the base of the mountain peaks.
The mountain subsides around Albania in order to make way for the water ways that are located in the area. Then later the Korab mountains begin the formation once again. The shape of the area here make it extremely hard for any species to exist in the range. For example, the high peak of Dinara in Croatia is home to one very specific type of rodent called the Balkan snow vole. This is also known as the "rat of Croatia" and is known to be endangered and near extinction. Overall, this area of Croatia is an element that thrives in tourism, but within it nothing much can sustain to thrive there.
The range is well preserved by law officials, and the help of wilderness preserves, and continues to be host to a large amount of visits from local families, as well as, tourists visiting the area.
Citations:
Pictures from top to bottom:
http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-713/The-Dinaric-Alps-rising-from-the-Dalmatian-coast-at-Makarska
http://peakery.com/dinara/
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36849
Other citations:
"Dinaric Alps." : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost. N.p., 06 Jan. 2006. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.summitpost.org/dinaric-alps/155326>.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/163795/Dinaric-Alps>.
