It means a country or a table
What Does Mesa Mean?
A flat-topped natural elevation or broad terrace is known as mesa. Thus it refers to a flattop mountain called ``a table'' in Spanish. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape. It has steep sides. It is capped with a resistant rock formation. A mesa is smaller than a plateau but larger than a butte. Mesas are prevalent throughout northern Mexico and the south-western United States, mainly in Arizona. They are found in an arid region.
Mesas are the result of tectonic activity and their formation is due to upliftment and then exposure to erosion. The hard rock capped over a Mesa is called cap rock and it contains basalt in a horizontal strata. This rock acts as a protective layer and preserves the regions between stream valleys and other highly active erosion areas. The largest mesa in the world is considered to be the Grand Mesa in western Colorado in the United States.
Mesas are the result of tectonic activity and their formation is due to upliftment and then exposure to erosion. The hard rock capped over a Mesa is called cap rock and it contains basalt in a horizontal strata. This rock acts as a protective layer and preserves the regions between stream valleys and other highly active erosion areas. The largest mesa in the world is considered to be the Grand Mesa in western Colorado in the United States.
