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.
Benxi Manchu Autonomous County is located in the hinterland of Liaodong Peninsula and the upper reaches of Taizi River, located between longitude 12334 & #39;53 "- 124o45 & #39;42" east and latitude 40 °48 & #39;50 "- 41 °33 & #39;50" north, bordering Huanren Manchu Autonomous County and Kuandian County in the east, Benxi City and Liaoyang City in the west, Dandong City in the south and Shenyang City and Fushun City in the north. The county has a total area of 3344 square kilometers, with geomorphological features of "eight mountains, one water and one sub-field", which belongs to the continental monsoon climate in the north temperate zone. The county has 11 townships with a total population of 300000, including 15 ethnic groups, including Manchu, Han, North Korea, Hui and Mongolia. The county government is located in a small town. December 7, 2016