plateau n : a relatively flat highland [syn: tableland] [also: plateaux (pl)]plateaux See plateau

English

Pronunciation

• /plæˈtɔʊ/ compare: plateau

Noun

plateaux p

1. Plural of plateau
   • 1957: Justin O’Brien, The Fall, 1976 reprint, ch. 2, pp20–21 (Penguin Books; ISBN 0 14 00 1762 3); a translation from the original 1956 French work La Chute, by Albert Camus

     In the mountains I used to flee the deep valleys for the passes and plateaux; at the very least, I was a man of the uplands.

French

Pronunciation

• pla.tɔ

Noun

plateaux p

1. masculine plural of plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain.

A highly eroded(erection) plateau is called a dissected plateau.

A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity.

The largest and highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau, called the "roof of the world", which is still being formed by the collisions of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. In all the Tibetan plateau covers an area of some 2.5 million square kilometres which is approximately 5000m above sea level. The height of this plateau is such that it is enough to reverse the Hadley convection cycles and drive the monsoons of India to the south

Oceanic plateaus

Plateau is also used to describe undersea geologic formations. Some undersea plateaus, like the Seychelles plateau, are fragments of continental crust that lie separate from continents; they are analogous to continental shelves. Others, like the Ontong Java Plateau are large igneous provinces made of flood basalts.

Plateau Mountains

Plateau Mountains are formed similarly to Fold mountains. Plateau mountains are said to be flat, high plateau. There are many types of mountains such as Dome, Volcanic, Fold, Fault-Block, Monadnock.

References

• "Plateau" at scienceclarified.com

See also

• Northern Tablelands (New South Wales)