Editing Plateau (section)

{{Short description|Highland area, usually of relatively flat terrain}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2010}}

[[File:Himalaya 85.30820E 32.11063N.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Satellite image of the [[Tibetan Plateau]] between the Himalayan mountains to the south and the [[Taklamakan Desert]] to the north]]

In [[geology]] and [[physical geography]], a '''plateau''' ({{IPAc-en|p|l|ə|ˈ|t|oʊ|,_|p|l|æ|ˈ|t|oʊ|,_|ˈ|p|l|æ|t|oʊ}}; {{IPA|fr|plato|lang}}; {{plural form}}: '''plateaus''' or '''plateaux'''),<ref name="Merriam-Webster">{{cite Merriam-Webster|plateau|access-date=2017-08-26}}</ref><ref name="Cambridge">{{cite web |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/plateau |title=plateau |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |work=[[Cambridge English Dictionary]] |access-date=2017-08-26}}</ref> also called a '''high plain''' or a '''tableland''', is an area of a [[highland]] consisting of flat [[terrain]] that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side.{{sfn|Huggett|2011|p=99|loc=Plate Tectonics and Associated Structural Landforms}} Often one or more sides have deep hills or [[escarpment]]s.{{sfn|Huggett|2011|p=124|loc=Volcanoes, Impact Craters, Folds, and Faults}} Plateaus can be formed by a number of processes, including [[upwelling]] of [[volcano|volcanic]] [[magma]], [[extrusion]] of [[lava]], and [[erosion]] by water and [[glacier]]s. Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment as intermontane, piedmont, or continental. A few plateaus may have a small flat top while others have wider ones.