A mesa is a flat-topped mountain or hill. It is a wide, flat, elevated landform with steep sides.

Mesa is a Spanish word that means table. Spanish explorers of the American southwest, where many mesas are found, used the word because the tops of mesas look like the tops of tables.

Mesas are formed by erosion, when water washes smaller and softer types of rocks away from the top of a hill. The strong, durable rock that remains on top of a mesa is called caprock. A mesa is usually wider than it is tall.

Mesas are usually found in dry regions where rock layers are horizontal. The Grand Mesa in the U.S. state of Colorado, considered the largest mesa in the world, has an area of about 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) and stretches for 64 kilometers (40 miles).

mesa

This gorgeous mesa towers above the surrounding vegetation of the Guiana Highlands of South America.

Tabletop Community
There are over 300 lakes on top of the Grand Mesa, in Colorado, as well as a state highway.

caprock

Noun

strong, hard rock that remains on top of a mesa.

durable

Adjective

strong and long-lasting.

Noun

act in which earth is worn away, often by water, wind, or ice.

Noun

land that rises above its surroundings and has a rounded summit, usually less than 300 meters (1,000 feet).

horizontal

Adjective

left-right direction or parallel to the Earth and the horizon.

Noun

specific natural feature on the Earth's surface.

Noun

broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides.

mountain

Noun

landmass that forms as tectonic plates interact with each other.

Noun

any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are the basic units of geography.

rock

Noun

natural substance composed of solid mineral matter.

steep

Adjective

extreme incline or decline.

  • Credits

    Media Credits

    The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

    Writers

    Kim Rutledge
    Tara Ramroop
    Diane Boudreau
    Melissa McDaniel
    Santani Teng
    Erin Sprout
    Hilary Costa
    Hilary Hall
    Jeff Hunt

    Illustrators

    Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society
    Tim Gunther

    Editors

    Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing
    Kara West

    Educator Reviewer

    Nancy Wynne

    Producer

    Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

    Sources

    Dunn, Margery G. (Editor). (1989, 1993). "Exploring Your World: The Adventure of Geography." Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.

    Last Updated

    Jan. 21, 2011

  • User Permissions

    For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

    Media

    If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

    Text

    Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

    Interactives

    Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.