mesa

This term describes a specific landform characterized by a broad, flat summit and sheer cliffs. It is most frequently associated with the American Southwest and other arid environments where differential erosion leaves a hard caprock protecting the softer layers beneath. In geological hierarchy, it occupies a middle ground between a plateau and a butte. While a plateau is a vast elevated area, a mesa is a distinct, isolated hill, and a butte is a narrower spire that results from the further erosion of a mesa.