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.
Duilong Deqing District is under the jurisdiction of Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous region, located in the central and southern part of Tibet Autonomous region, west of Lhasa City, with a total area of 2704.25 square kilometers, two streets, four towns and one township, with a total population of 48696 (2013). No. 1 Tuanjie Road, Dongga Town, District people's Government. Duilong Deqing means "the paradise of Shanggu" in Tibetan. The region is located in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River valley, the southern foot of Nianqing Tanggula Mountain, with an average elevation of about 4500 meters, high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Lhasa River and Duilong River flow through the territory. It is rich in solar energy, hydropower and geothermal resources. Tourist attractions include Chubu Temple, Sangmu Folk Natural Village, Qiu Sang Hot Spring and so on. Gu Rong Ciba is a specialty of Duilong Deqing. Agriculture and animal husbandry is the economic foundation of Duilong Deqing. In the 21st century, especially after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.