Geographical regionalization
The relief of the commune is divided in several parts:
1. Field of Zadrima
2. Chain of Kakarriqi
3. Hills of Bushati, Barbullushi, and Plezhë-Shkjezi.
1. Field of Zadrima
In the genuine ethnographic sense, this field spreads from the eastern side of the Mountain of Kakarriqi and the hills of Bërdicë - Bushat – Barbullush to the western side of the hilly spine of Hajmel. Southwards, it spreads up to Lezha, where it gets significantly narrow while on its northward spread it reaches up to the flow of the River Drin. In the physical and geographic sense, the field of Zadrima lies approximately from Lezha (south), to Field of Guri i Zi and Field of Rrenci on the right bank of the River Drin (north) covering a space of 30 km length and 6-10 km width.
Geological make-up: Like the other fields of NënShkodra, this field, too, is located on a graben depression which is responsible for its flat and very low position. During the Plio-quaternary period, Albania’s relief was involved into a rising movement which resulted into the emergence of the Mountain of Rrenci and Mountain of Kakarriqi. Therefore, the fields of Kakarriqi and Zadrima remained in the flat part. Geological make up is represented by molassic tortonians and terrigenes.
Relief peculiarities: The field of Zadrima represents a synclinal depression of 10-15 m above sea level. The field has an inclination towards the north (in the direction of the River Drin) and towards the west, too, (in the direction of the Lezha Drin). The level rises towards the east. A number of villages have been established on the field such as Barbullushi, Bushati, etc. In the past, the field was a marshland which was flooded often by the rivers of Drin and Gjader. In the year 1954, the area was drained and the field was improved which involved the deviation of the River Drin in the vicinity of the Mjedë village. A number of irrigation and drainage canals were built, like the one of Vau i Dejes – Bushat, etc. Presently, the field is an important agricultural resource.
2. The Mountain of Kakarriqi (or the Mountain of Barbullushi)
occupies the southwestern part of the commune. It borders on the north with the southernmost extreme of the Field of Trushi, on the south with the Lezha Drin (its right bank), on the west with the Field of Kakarriqi or the field of Torovica (separating the Mountain of Kakarriqi from its “twin”, i.e. the Mountain of Rrenci), and on the east with the Field of Zadrima. The southern part of this mountain serves as a natural border of the Commune with the Region of Lezha. Within these border points the mountain is 18 km long and 1 km wide. The shape of the mountain is longitudinal and runs parallel to both the Mountain of Rrenci and the coastal line of Albania. Its north and south extremes are marked by the villages of Trush (Shkodra) and Balldren (Lezha) and its eastern and western points are respectively the villages of Barbullush (Shkodra) and Torovica (Lezha). At the foot of the mountain, a number of villages have been built like Trush, Fshat i Ri (New Village), Mali i Jushit (Jushi Mountain) Barbullush and Hoten.
Geological make up: As regards structural characteristics such as lithological, morphological and morphogenetic features, the Mountain of Kakarriqi is similar to the Mountain of Rrenci. Regarding its genesis, this mountain is part of the great structure of para-mountainous wrinkles which sank and were covered by the sea at the beginning of the Miocene age. At the subsequent periods, specifically during the Plio-Quaternary age, like the whole of the Albanian territory, the mountain’s area was swept by rising tectonic movements which resulted in the emergence of the Mountain of Kakarriqi (alongside the Mountain of Rrenci) in the form of a mount spine. The Mountain of Kakarriqi was characterized by powerful tectonic movements accompanied by sectional separations which affected the Shkodra depression. These separations interrupted the sectional movements happening southwards, thus resulting in block mosaics (horst-graben). Due to the new tectonics, the old structures of the area of Kruja, too, happened to split and separate by creating horsts and grabens south of the Shkodra Depression. The Kruja horts and grabens are similar to the horst of Barbullushi which is divided by the graben of Zadrima and Kakarriqi. Part of the Shkodra Depression, this mountain is the contact zone between the old and the new tectonics and an unstable area characterized by seismic activity, too. It was due to normal tectonic splits that the structure of the mountain received its block character. The spits are also responsible for the asymmetry of the mountain sides. The western side falls steep on the field of Kakarriqi, whereas the eastern side falls more bluntly on the field of Zadrima. The rock at the root of the Mountain of Kakarriqi is made up of lime stones encountered in the area of Kruja since Cretan times.
Relief: The Mountain of Kakarriqi represents an anti-synclinal spine lying parallel to the coastal line with a Dinaric orientation, i.e. northwest-southeast. It is a narrow mountain with asymmetric sides. This longitudinal anti-synclinal horst borders on two grabens, the one of Zadrima on the east and the one of Torovica on the west. The spinal mount is flat apparently due to neogenic erosion which was worked by more recent phenomena such as the carstic and denuding ones (which created cones, creases, scrapers, holes and caves). These phenomena were aided by a system of ground streams and streaks running down the mountain spine. The carstic processes are responsible for the present landscape of the mountain. The carst development is also aided by the direct emergence of the limestone rocks in the surface and the poor vegetation of the area. It can be asserted that these two factors have the greatest role in these developments. On the northwestern direction, the mountain narrows down significantly, whereas on its central part, the height reaches its most. Average height ranges from 160 to 350 m. The highest mount is Marcinaj with 372 m above sea level. The Mountain of Kakarriqi has two passes which connect it with the bordering fields. Of these two gorges, Qafa e Jushit (the Jushi Gorge) is the most important. Horizontal and vertical fragmentations have been at work at insignificant rates. The hills of Bushati, Barbullushi and Plezhë-Shkjezi are mainly of low height and are seen as “small islands” in the field of Zadrima. Certain peaks are distinguished: Zefjana (249 m), Kodërletaj (70.4 m), Kodra Hoxhës (100.5 m), Kodërloc (78.6 m) and Guri i Dragonit.