Plateau

A plateau is a special kind of landform that looks like a high, flat area. It rises sharply above the land around it on at least one side, often with steep edges called escarpments. Plateaus can be found all over the world and come in many different sizes — some have narrow, flat tops, while others are much wider.

These flat highlands are formed through many natural processes. One way they form is from the upwelling of hot, molten rock from deep inside the Earth, known as volcanic magma. Sometimes, lava flows out and cools to create flat layers. Water and glaciers also help shape plateaus by wearing away surrounding land over time.

Plateaus are important because they often hold valuable resources like minerals and water. They also support unique plants and animals that have adapted to their high, open environments. Because of their height, plateaus can have cooler climates than the areas below them, which adds to their special character.

Formation

Plateaus can be formed by different processes, such as volcanic activity, movements of the Earth's plates, and erosion by water and ice.

Volcanic

Main article: Volcanic plateau

Volcanic plateaus are created by volcanic activity. They can form when magma rises from deep within the Earth, lifting the ground upward. They can also form when lava spreads out from cracks in the Earth's surface. Examples include the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland, the Deccan Plateau in India, the Big Raven Plateau in Canada, and the Columbia Plateau in the United States.

Tectonic

Tectonic plateaus are formed when the movement of Earth's plates lifts land upward. These plateaus are often large and have a fairly even height. Examples are the Deccan Plateau in India and the Meseta Central on the Iberian Peninsula.

Erosion

Plateaus can also be shaped by glaciers and water. Glaciers can carve out mountains, leaving flat areas in between. Rivers can erode land, breaking up plateaus into valleys. An example is the Scottish Highlands.

Classification

Plateaus are flat, high areas of land that are higher than the areas around them. They can be found in different places depending on what is near them.

• Intermontane plateaus are surrounded by big mountain ranges. The Tibetan Plateau is between the Himalayas and Kunlun Mountains, and the Altiplano is between two parts of the Andes mountains.
• Piedmont plateaus have mountains on one side and flat land or water on the other. The Piedmont Plateau in the Eastern United States lies between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Plain.
• Continental plateaus are bordered by flat land or oceans on all sides, far from mountains. The Antarctic Plateau in East Antarctica is one example.

Large plateaus by continent

Africa

The highest plateau in Africa is the Ethiopian Highlands. It covers much of central Ethiopia and is very high, with little of its surface below 1,500 metres (4,921 ft). Some peaks reach up to 4,556 metres (14,928 ft). It is sometimes called the Roof of Africa because of its height and size.

Another example is the Highveld in South Africa. It is part of the inland plateau and has heights above 1,500 metres but below 2,100 metres. Many large cities are located here.

In Egypt, there are the Giza Plateau and Galala Mountain, which rise about 3,300 ft above sea level.

Antarctica

A very large plateau is the icy Antarctic Plateau. It is also called the Polar Plateau or King Haakon VII Plateau. It includes the geographic South Pole and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. This plateau covers most of East Antarctica and is made of ice about 3,000 m (9,800 ft) thick. The ice moves very slowly toward the coast. The ice is so thick that in some places, the land below sea level. As the ice melts, the land will rise again.

Asia

The largest and highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau, often called the "Roof of the World". It is still forming because of the movement of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Tibetan Plateau covers about 2,500,000 km² (970,000 sq mi) and is about 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea level. It is so high that it changes wind patterns and affects the monsoons in India. The Deosai Plains in Pakistan are about 4,114 meters (13,497 ft) above sea level and are the second highest plateaus in the world.

Other major plateaus in Asia include: Najd on the Arabian Peninsula, Armenian Highlands, Iranian Plateau, Anatolian Plateau, Mongolian Plateau, and the Deccan Plateau.

North America

A large plateau in North America is the Colorado Plateau. It covers about 337,000 km² (130,000 sq mi) in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

In northern Arizona and southern Utah, the Colorado Plateau is divided by the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. Over millions of years, the land rose while the river eroded it at the same rate. Today, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 2,450 m (8,040 ft) above sea level, and the South Rim is about 2,150 m (7,050 ft) above sea level. The river is about 1,830 m (6,000 ft) below the North Rim at its deepest point.

Another high plateau in North America is the Mexican Plateau. It covers 601,882 km² (232,388 sq mi) and has an average height of 1,825 metres. More than 70 million people live here.

Oceania

The Western Plateau is part of the Australian Shield and covers much of southwest Australia. It is about 700,000 square kilometres and has heights between 305 and 460 metres.

The North Island Volcanic Plateau is in the centre of New Zealand's North Island. It has volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes, including Lake Taupō, the country's largest lake. The plateau is about 100 km wide and 130 km long, with most of it over 600 metres above sea level.

The Northern Tablelands are the largest highland area in Australia, covering about 18,197 square kilometres. Many points here are over 1,000 metres above sea level.

South America

The Andes mountains in South America form one of the world's highest plateaus: the Altiplano, also called the Andean Plateau or Bolivian Plateau. It is the largest high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet. Most of it is in Bolivia and Peru, with some parts in Chile. The Altiplano has several cities such as Puno, Oruro, El Alto, and La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia. The northeastern part is wetter, while the southwest has dry areas with salt flats. Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America, is located on the border of Bolivia and Peru.

The city of Bogota in Colombia sits on another high plateau called the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. It is about the size of Switzerland and averages 2,600 m (8,500 ft) above sea level. This plateau is divided into three main flat areas: the Bogotá savanna, the valleys of Ubaté and Chiquinquirá, and the valleys of Duitama and Sogamoso.