El Mela

{{short description|Mountain in Argentina}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name = El Mela

| photo =

| photo_caption =

| elevation_m = 4160

| elevation_ref = {{cite web |first=Petter |last=Bjørstad |url=https://www.ii.uib.no/~petter/mountains/4000mtn/mela.html |title=El Mela |website=Mountains that I climbed and remember |date=2024-11-18 |access-date=2025-01-15}}

| prominence_m = 2917

| prominence_ref =
Ranked 108th

| listing = Ultra

| map = Argentina

| map_caption = Location in Argentina

| map_size = 200

| label_position =

| location = La Rioja, Argentina

| range = Sierras Pampeanas

| coordinates = {{coord|28.86722|S|67.12685|W|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref =

| topo =

| type =

| age =

| first_ascent =

| easiest_route =

}}

Cerro El MelaBiurrun F., Agüero W., Teruel D.: Consideraciones fitogeográficas sobre la vegetación de los llanos de La Rioja. Estudios sobre el Ambiente y el Territorio Nº 5, 2012. ISSN 1853-3647.González, M. et al:[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331498616_Peligrosidad_Geologica_SERIE_CONTRIBUCIONES_TECNICAS_14_Peligrosidad_sismica_en_la_Sierra_de_Velasco Peligrosidad sísmica en la Sierra de Velasco], Serie Contribuciones Técnicas, ISSN 0328-9052, Buenos Aires 2008 is the highest peak of the Sierra de Velasco in the Sierras Pampeanas range. It is located in the La Rioja Province of Argentina, about 70 km north-west of the provincial capital, La Rioja.

El Mela has an elevation of {{convert|4160|m|ft|0}} above sea level. Despite its relatively low altitude, with {{convert|2917|m|ft|0}} it is one of Argentina's most prominent peaks.

A short distance to the south, there is a subsidiary peak named El Melao, which was at times thought to be higher than El Mela. Some sources mention an altitude of {{convert|4189|m|ft|0}} for this peak, but it was measured in November 2024 and its height was found to be 4152 metres.