By:Adam Usher

Plateau

Plain

Plateaus

a large highland area of fairly level land separated from surrounding land by steep slopes

are widespread, and together with enclosed basins they cover about 45 percent of the Earths land surface

Some plateaus like the plateau of Tibet and lie between mountain ranges

Formation of Plateaus

Plateaus are sculpted by geologic forces that lift them up and the wind and rain that wear them down into mesas, buttes, and canyons

Plateaus are built over millions of years as pieces of Earths crust smash into each other, melt, and gurgle back toward the surface

The highest and biggest plateau on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau in East Asia

Plains

are broad, nearly level stretches of land that have no great changes in elevation

are generally lower than the land around them

they may be found along a coast or inland

Formation of Plains

Some appear when glaciers and streams erode away elevated terrain

Some plains spill into the oceans, and others are bound by mountains on several sides

Best of Both Worlds You can find plains much

like this in Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa

We grow wheat on the plains

Some plains are covered with water for most of the year

These plains are called wetlands