Plateus
PLATEAUS known variously as tablelands or flat-topped mountains, are regions elevated thousands of feet above their surroundings. They are found on continents around the world, in countries ranging from Algeria to Mexico, from Mongolia to Zimbabwe. In Antarctica, which has a greater average elevation than any other continent, most of the land outside of the mountain ranges can be considered plateaus. Covered by thick ice, many of these areas have no names.
Some plateaus around the world exist at such great heights that their climate is harsh and living conditions are bleak. Others, at much lower elevations, offer more favorable conditions. The terrain of some plateaus is unbroken and flat. The terrain of many others has been eroded away by water and wind over millions of years to create distinct and unusual landforms. As such, many plateaus are landforms filled with landforms.
By definition, a plateau is a relatively level, large expanse of land that rises some 1,500 feet (457 meters) or more above its surroundings and has at least one steep side. A plateau may cover an area as small as several square miles or as large as half the size of the lower forty-eight United States. Some plateaus formed as a result of geologic uplift, or the slow upward movement of large parts of stable areas of Earth's crust. Others lie between mountains, formed in response to the collision of sections of Earth's crust. Still others formed as a result of many lava flows that spread out over hundreds of thousands of square miles, building up the land surface. These latter plateaus are known as lava or basalt plateaus (basalt is the dark, dense volcanic rock that forms these particular lava flows). Some plateaus can form simply when the side of a land region is weathered away through erosion (the gradual wearing away of Earth surface features through the action of wind and water). Although a plateau is usually considered a single landmass, some plateaus may be composed of numerous
Some plateaus around the world exist at such great heights that their climate is harsh and living conditions are bleak. Others, at much lower elevations, offer more favorable conditions. The terrain of some plateaus is unbroken and flat. The terrain of many others has been eroded away by water and wind over millions of years to create distinct and unusual landforms. As such, many plateaus are landforms filled with landforms.
By definition, a plateau is a relatively level, large expanse of land that rises some 1,500 feet (457 meters) or more above its surroundings and has at least one steep side. A plateau may cover an area as small as several square miles or as large as half the size of the lower forty-eight United States. Some plateaus formed as a result of geologic uplift, or the slow upward movement of large parts of stable areas of Earth's crust. Others lie between mountains, formed in response to the collision of sections of Earth's crust. Still others formed as a result of many lava flows that spread out over hundreds of thousands of square miles, building up the land surface. These latter plateaus are known as lava or basalt plateaus (basalt is the dark, dense volcanic rock that forms these particular lava flows). Some plateaus can form simply when the side of a land region is weathered away through erosion (the gradual wearing away of Earth surface features through the action of wind and water). Although a plateau is usually considered a single landmass, some plateaus may be composed of numerous