A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a more resistant layer or layers of harder rock, e.g. shales overlain by sandstones. The resistant layer acts as a caprock that forms the flat summit of a mesa. The caprock can consist of either sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone; dissected lava flows; or a deeply eroded duricrust. Unlike plateau, whose usage does not imply horizontal layers of bedrock, e.g. Tibetan Plateau, the term mesa applies exclusively to the landforms built of flat-lying strata. Instead, flat-topped plateaus are specifically known as tablelands.
Baqing County, which belongs to Naqu City, Tibet Autonomous region, is located in the eastern part of Naqu City on the North Tibetan Plateau and in the South Qiangtang Great Lake Basin area in the upper reaches of the Nujiang River. the terrain is high in the north and low in the south, with an average elevation of more than 4500 meters. The main peaks in the territory are Bujia Mountain in the east, Mount Wamara and Mount Zhuluo in the north, Canglaishan and qu Rula in the northwest. Baqing County belongs to the semi-humid monsoon climate zone of the subcold zone of the plateau, with annual sunshine hours of about 2402 hours. Baqing County covers an area of 10326 square kilometers, with a total population of 42356 (2010). It has jurisdiction over 3 towns, 7 townships, 3 communities and 158 administrative villages.