What Is the Difference Between Plateaus, Mesas, and Buttes and Where Are They Found In the United States?

A plateau is an elevated area that spreads over a large region.

A mesa, from the Spanish word for table, is a plateau that drops steeply off on all sides.

A butte is a smaller mesa and is formed when a mesa erodes.

If you visit the Four Corners area of the United States, the place where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah meet, you’ll see many of these unusual landforms.