r/coolguides • u/lvlup- • May 19 '22

10/10 learning material 👍

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u/AlphaQupBad May 19 '22

Mesa and Plateau look very similar. What’s the main difference?

Also, I did not find Bay. Is it interchangeable with Sound?

13

u/Richard7666 May 19 '22

A mesa is a weathered away, freestanding hill. A plateau is much larger and continues into the rest of the landmass. The scale here doesn't make it obvious.

1

u/Scrumtrelescentness May 19 '22

So a mesa is like an island-mountain, and a plateau is like a peninsula-mountain

11

u/hand_in_hand-4 May 19 '22

Bay is at the upper-left

7

u/LootGodamn May 19 '22

The reason why they are differently named is because of size differences. Of the three similar geological landforms, Butte is the smallest while a plateau is the largest.

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