PLATEAU LANDFORM

Plateau and Pleteau Landform

• There are several sorts of geological characteristics of landmasses on Earth. Examples include numerous types of landforms, such as mountains, plains, and plateaus, formed throughout geological time periods.
• A plateau landform is one that consists of a large stretch of flat land that is generally surrounded by a high slope on all sides.
• High geographical features, such as mountains and hills, can occasionally surround it.
• Relatively low relief structures and some height determine the physical characteristics of a plateau.
• Although both mountains and plateaus are higher than their surrounding areas, the main distinction between them is that the mountains continue to rise, producing an inverted cone-like structure, while the plateaus are flatlands with some altitude.

Plateau

• A plateau, also known as a high plain or a flatland in geology and physical geography, is an area of elevated or raised terrain in comparison to all surrounding sides or at least one side, which are fully practically flat surfaces at the top.
• A plateau might be bordered on all or some sides by steep hills.
• This is due to the fact that they result from a variety of processes, including volcanic magma, lava extrusions, water, and glacier erosion.
• The summit of plateaus is often a large flat expanse of landmass; however, some can also be short flatlands.
• Finally, plateau landforms can be classified as intermontane, piedmont, or continental based on their surrounding or neighboring environment.

Geological and Geographical Features of the Plateau Landform

• The geological and geographical features that surround or create plateau landforms allow for differentiation and classification into various types because they, like mountain landforms, are the result of volcanic activity, lava extrusions, or erosion brought on by water and glaciers.

Landform Classification on the Plateau According to the formation

The plateau landform is classified into the following categories based on geologic activity:

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Volcanic Plateau

• Volcanic plateau is another name for lava plateau.
• As a result, any flat landform formed as a result of volcanic activity falls under the lava plateau concept.
• Volcanic magma upwelling or lava extrusion, can also cause the formation of lava plateaus.
•  The rising magma from the mantle causes the ground to rise.
• As a result, broad, flat expanses of rock are raised, forming a plateau.
•  Lava extends outward from fissures and weak spots in the crust during the extrusion phenomenon, culminating in the construction of a lava plateau.

Erosion

• When glaciers from mountain summits recede, they leave vast, flat expanses between mountain ranges, forming the plateau.
•  Rivers are also responsible for the formation of massive flatlands by eroding vast surfaces and breaking them up with deep, narrow valleys, resulting in a dissected plateau landform.
• Computer modeling studies have revealed that plateau landforms may also be produced as a result of tectonic plate feedback.
• Dissected plateau landforms include the Appalachian plateau landforms.

IMAGE SOURCE (THUMBNAIL)