Plateaus are flat-topped landforms elevated above surrounding areas, found on every continent. They can be formed by upward movements of the earth’s crust, collisions of crustal sections, lava flows, or soil erosion. Different types of smaller landforms can develop on plateaus. Famous examples include the Colorado Plateau, Deccan Plateau, Siberian Traps, and Tibetan Plateau.
Plateaus are landforms that have a flat top and are elevated far above the surrounding area. They can be found on every continent of the globe, and in some areas of the world they are at such a high elevation that living conditions are harsh. Elsewhere, these landforms offer more benign environments suitable for agriculture.
In most cases, the flat area of a plateau rises approximately 1,500 feet (457 meters) above the surrounding land surface. To comply with the definition of this morphology, it must have at least one steep side. Some of these areas were formed as a result of upward movements of the earth’s crust.
Other plateaus were formed when sections of the earth’s crust collided with one another, and these particular ones are located between mountains. Lava flows were also responsible for their formation, elevating the land as it flowed across the surface of the earth. Such lava-formed landforms are called basalts or lava plateaus. Still others were created due to soil erosion.
Different types of smaller landforms can develop on these areas. As the water sculpts these natural structures, it creates domes, mesas, buttes, towers, rock bridges, rock arches, and other natural structures. Plateaus built with sedentary rock will possess horizontal layers of rock and have flat tops. Those built on rocks with different types of hardness will result in landforms that can be pointed or level.
The Colorado Plateau located in the United States is a famous landform that covers 130,000 square miles (336,700 square km). This particular area is circular in shape and extends into southeastern Utah, northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and western Colorado. The Deccan Plateau in India is another well known landform that was formed from lava millions of years ago. It covers approximately 300,000 square miles (770,000 square km) and spans the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Siberian Traps is also a landform in Russia formed from lava millions of years ago. It spans 750,000 square miles (1,942,500 square km). Tibet is home to the Tibetan Plateau, the highest and largest in the world. At 888,000 square miles (2.3 million square km), it covers an area about half the size of the 48 connected US states. This Tibetan landform boasts an elevation of over 16,400 feet (5,000 m.).
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