The Lienz Dolomites are an alpine mountain range located in the states of East Tyrol and Carinthia. It lies at the western side of the wider Gailtal Alps and contains its highest peaks. The range lies between the Drava in the north and the Lesachtal to the south (where the Gail river flows).
Its most notable summits include the Große Sandspitze at 2,770 m, the
Spitzkofel (2,717 m), the Hochstadel (2,681 m), the (2,614 m), and the Eggenkofel (2,591 m).
Geology
The highest central peaks of the Lienz Dolomites (the Große Sandspitze, the Laserzwand, the Spitzkofel and the Hochstadel are formed of the
Hauptdolomit, which also dominates the
Dolomites to the south.
[ see map: page 80] However the Dolomite mountains lie to the south of the Periadriatic line and the Lienz Dolomites are located to the north of that structure so geologically they are part of the Central Eastern Alps rather than being part of the southern Alps.
The whole sequence of rocks
Outcrop in the Lienz Dolomites was
Thrust fault to the north in the course of the
Alpine orogeny.
