plateau: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

Aerial view of the Columbia Plateau showing a wide expanse of flat land with steep, dark basalt cliffs and sparse vegetation in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.

plateau formation

Ethiopian Plateau

Snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, including Makalu, Lhotse, Mount Everest, and Cho Oyu, rise above rolling brown hills on the southern Tibetan Plateau in China.

Learn how basaltic rock composing the Columbia Plateau was once lava from a series of volcanic fissure eruptions

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

barre nudo lava plateau tableland flood basalt amba tectonic basins and rift valleys tepui glacier glacial landform valley coastal landforms Desert Grassland playa beach Forest continent

Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust

The Solid Earth Quiz