Plateau | Definition, Geography, Landform, Types, & Examples

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srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/118890-050-C5989AAC/Columbia-Plateau-area-lava-flows-Washington-Oregon.jpg?w=300"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/118890-050-C5989AAC/Columbia-Plateau-area-lava-flows-Washington-Oregon.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop" alt="Columbia Plateau" loading="eager" /> </picture> <button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"> <em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </button> </a> </div> <figcaption class="card-body"> <div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"> <span> <a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/118890-050-C5989AAC/Columbia-Plateau-area-lava-flows-Washington-Oregon.jpg" data-href="/media/1/463959/121636">Columbia Plateau</a> <span><span>The Columbia Plateau is uniformly covered with basaltic lava flows and spans an area of about 100,000 square miles in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>plateau</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">landform</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="463959"> <button class="js-tooltip btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border pr-10 border-2" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" 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Molnar</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-29T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 29, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/science/plateau-landform/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/science/barre-plateau" topicid="53971">barre</a></dd> <dd><a href="/science/tableland" topicid="579796">tableland</a></dd> <dd><a href="/science/lava-plateau" topicid="332604">lava plateau</a></dd> <dd><a href="/science/nudo" topicid="422096">nudo</a></dd> <dd><a href="/science/amba-landform" topicid="18805">amba</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/plateau-landform"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canfor-reports-net-loss-of-350-million-amid-lumber-downturn-1.7364519" rel="nofollow">Canfor reports net loss of $350 million amid lumber downturn</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Oct. 26, 2024, 4:55 AM ET (CBC) </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="18492" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="22423"><a data-id="22423" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/Columbia-Plateau-eruptions-erosion/-18492"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/22423-138-2BE3D55A/Columbia-Plateau-eruptions-erosion.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Learn how basaltic rock composing the Columbia Plateau was once lava from a series of volcanic fissure eruptions" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/uOzEhNjG.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/23/22423-138-2BE3D55A/Columbia-Plateau-eruptions-erosion.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/uGBXW7px", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/481eQ7cD.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="22423">Learn how basaltic rock composing the Columbia Plateau was once lava from a series of volcanic fissure eruptions</span><span>The Columbia Plateau was formed by volcanic eruptions and subsequently reshaped by erosion.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/science/plateau-landform/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref499812"></span>plateau</strong>, extensive area of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/playa" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">flat</a> upland usually bounded by an escarpment (i.e., steep slope) on all sides but sometimes enclosed by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mountain-landform" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mountains</a>. The essential <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="criteria" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criteria" data-type="MW">criteria</a> for plateaus are low relative relief and some altitude.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although plateaus stand at higher elevation than surrounding terrain, they differ from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mountain-landform" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">mountain</a> ranges in that they are remarkably flat. Some plateaus, like the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Altiplano" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Altiplano</a> in southern Peru and western Bolivia, are <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="integral" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integral" data-type="MW">integral</a> parts of mountain belts. Others, such as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Colorado-Plateau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Colorado Plateau</a> (across which the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Colorado-River-United-States-Mexico" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Colorado River</a> has cut the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Grand-Canyon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Grand Canyon</a>), were produced by processes very different from those that built neighbouring mountain ranges. Some plateaus—for example, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Deccan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Deccan plateau</a> of central India—occur far from mountain ranges. The differences among plateaus can be ascribed to the different geologic processes that have created them.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref49676"> <h2 class="h1">Geomorphic characteristics</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The high flat surface that defines a plateau can continue for hundreds or even thousands of kilometres, as in the case of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Plateau-of-Tibet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Plateau of Tibet</a>. In spite of the paucity of roads, one can drive over most of that plateau, where elevations exceed 4,500 metres (about 14,760 feet), and encounter less relief than in some major cities of the world (e.g., <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Francisco-California" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">San Francisco</a> or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Rio-de-Janeiro-Brazil" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Rio de Janeiro</a>). Although ranges of hills and mountains rise above the rest of the plateau, their <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="topography" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topography" data-type="MW">topography</a> too is rather gentle.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Plateaus dissected (eroded) by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/river" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rivers</a> have remarkably uniform maximum elevations, but their surfaces can be interrupted by deep <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Canyon-Texas" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">canyons</a>. In the case of some regions described as plateaus, the surface is so dissected that one does not see any flat terrain. Instead, such a plateau is defined by a uniform elevation of the highest ridges and mountains. The eastern part of the Plateau of Tibet, which <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constitutes" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitutes" data-type="MW">constitutes</a> the headwaters of many of the great rivers of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Asia</a> (e.g., <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Yellow-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Huang He</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Yangtze-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yangtze</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mekong-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mekong</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Salween-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Salween</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Irrawaddy-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Irrawaddy</a>), is dissected into deep canyons separated by narrow, steep ridges; the high uniform elevation that characterizes plateaus is only barely discernible in that area.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref49677"> <h2 class="h1">Formative processes</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="212905" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/189518-050-EDC55CF4/processes-shortening-thermal-expansion-plateaus-formation.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/463959/212905"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/189518-050-EDC55CF4/processes-shortening-thermal-expansion-plateaus-formation.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/189518-050-EDC55CF4/processes-shortening-thermal-expansion-plateaus-formation.jpg?w=300" alt="plateau formation" data-width="1600" data-height="1066" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/189518-050-EDC55CF4/processes-shortening-thermal-expansion-plateaus-formation.jpg" data-href="/media/1/463959/212905">plateau formation</a><span>Volcanic processes, crustal shortening, and thermal expansion can drive the formation of plateaus.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The formation of a plateau requires one of the same three types of tectonic processes that create mountain ranges—<a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcanism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">volcanism</a>, crustal shortening (by the thrusting of one block or slice of crust over another or by the folding of layers of rock), and <span id="ref499813"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/thermal-expansion" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">thermal expansion</a>. The simplest of these is thermal expansion of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lithosphere" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lithosphere</a> (or the replacement of cold <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="mantle" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/mantle" data-type="EB">mantle</a> lithosphere by hot <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/asthenosphere" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">asthenosphere</a>).</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/the-solid-earth-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/94580-131-EEFB2861/interior-Earth-layers-measurements-crust-mantle-core.jpg" alt="Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">The Solid Earth Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="118592" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/124635-050-1C765197/Ethiopian-Plateau-Ethiopia.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/463959/118592"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/124635-050-1C765197/Ethiopian-Plateau-Ethiopia.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/124635-050-1C765197/Ethiopian-Plateau-Ethiopia.jpg?w=300" alt="Ethiopian Plateau" data-width="1563" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/124635-050-1C765197/Ethiopian-Plateau-Ethiopia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/463959/118592">Ethiopian Plateau</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">When the lithosphere underlying a broad area is heated rapidly—e.g., by an upwelling of hot material in the underlying asthenosphere—the consequent warming and thermal expansion of the uppermost mantle causes an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/uplift" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">uplift</a> of the overlying surface. If the uplifted surface had originally been low and without prominent relief, it is likely to remain relatively flat when uplifted to a relatively uniform elevation. The high plateaus of <span id="ref499814"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/East-African-mountains" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">East Africa </a>and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopian-Plateau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ethiopia</a> were formed that way. As in parts of Africa, plateaus of that sort can be associated with volcanism and with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/rift-valley" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">rift valleys</a>, but those features are not universal. Most of the high <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="plateau" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/plateau" data-type="EB">plateau</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/eastern-Africa" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">East Africa</a> that holds <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Victoria" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lake Victoria</a> does not contain <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/extrusive-rock" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">volcanic rock</a> and is cut only by small, minor rift valleys.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Where the uplifted surface lay at a low elevation for a very long time and was covered by resistant <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sedimentary-rock" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sedimentary rock</a>, the flatness of the plateau can be particularly marked. The rock underlying the <span id="ref499815"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Colorado-Plateau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Colorado Plateau</a> has undergone only very mild deformation since about 1.7 billion years ago during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Precambrian" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Precambrian time</a> (4.6 billion to 541 million years ago), and layers of very resistant limestone and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sandstone" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sandstone</a> deposited during the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Paleozoic-Era" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Paleozoic Era</a> (541 million to 252 million years ago) form its top surface in many areas. The warming of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="underlying" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/underlying" data-type="EB">underlying</a> lithosphere in late <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Cenozoic-Era" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cenozoic time</a> (66 million years ago to the present) caused that area to rise to its present elevation, and those erosion-resistant formations dating to Paleozoic time define the surfaces that make the remarkably flat horizons at the Grand Canyon.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="93878" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/98187-050-29EB069F/Southern-Plateau-China-Tibet-Mount-Everest.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/463959/93878"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/98187-050-29EB069F/Southern-Plateau-China-Tibet-Mount-Everest.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/98187-050-29EB069F/Southern-Plateau-China-Tibet-Mount-Everest.jpg?w=300" alt="Plateau of Tibet" data-width="1600" data-height="1024" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/98187-050-29EB069F/Southern-Plateau-China-Tibet-Mount-Everest.jpg" data-href="/media/1/463959/93878">Plateau of Tibet</a><span>Southern Plateau of Tibet, China, near Mount Everest (background centre).</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The great heights of some plateaus, such as the Plateau of Tibet or the Altiplano, are due to <span id="ref499816"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/crustal-shortening" class="md-crosslink ">crustal shortening</a>. The geologic structure of plateaus of that kind is entirely different from that of the Colorado Plateau, for instance. Crustal shortening, which thickens the crust as described above, has created high mountains along what are now the margins of such plateaus. In most mountain ranges, streams and rivers transport eroded material from the mountains to the neighbouring plains. When drainage is internal and streams and rivers deposit their <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="debris" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/debris" data-type="EB">debris</a> in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/valley" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">valleys</a> between mountains, however, a plateau can form. The surface of this sort of plateau is defined by very flat, broad valleys surrounded by eroded hills and mountains. The rocks that make up the mountains and the basement of the valleys are often strongly deformed, but the young sediment deposited in the valleys usually lies flat. Those plateaus generally survive <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/erosion-geology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">erosion</a> only in dry climates where erosion is slow. In many cases, the valleys, or basins, are occupied by flat dry lake beds (<a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/playa" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">playas</a>). Thus, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="plateaus" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/plateaus" data-type="EB">plateaus</a> built by crustal shortening are really mountain ranges buried in their own debris.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">A third type of plateau can form where extensive <span id="ref499817"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lava-volcanic-ejecta" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lava</a> flows (called <span id="ref499818"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/igneous-rock/Convergent-plate-boundaries#ref80243" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">flood basalts</a> or traps) and <span id="ref499819"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcanic-ash" class="md-crosslink ">volcanic ash</a> bury preexisting terrain, as exemplified by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Columbia-Plateau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Columbia Plateau</a> in the northwestern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>. The <span id="ref499820"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/volcanism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">volcanism</a> involved in such situations is commonly associated with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/hotspot-geology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">hot spots</a>. The lavas and ash are generally carried long distances from their sources, so that the topography is not dominated by volcanoes or volcanic centres. The thickness of the volcanic rock can be tens to even hundreds of metres, and the top surface of flood basalts is typically very flat but often with sharply incised canyons and valleys.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The separation of plateaus into the above three types is not always easy, because two or even all three of the processes involved frequently operate simultaneously. For instance, where the uppermost mantle is particularly hot, volcanism is common. The <span id="ref499821"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopian-Plateau" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ethiopian Plateau</a>, on which Precambrian rocks crop out, stands high because the underlying lithosphere has been heated, but Cenozoic volcanic rocks cover much of the plateau, especially those areas that are the flattest. Although the scale is different, there are active volcanoes and young lavas covering some broad basins on the northern part of the Plateau of Tibet. All three processes—thermal expansion, crustal shortening, and volcanism—may have contributed to the high, flat elevation of at least part of that plateau.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":2,"pageId":463959,"pageLength":1066,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Plateau | Definition, Geography, Landform, Types, & Examples | Britannica