• Mesa
  • Gaochang District

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.

Gaochang District, which belongs to Turpan City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, is located at the southern foot of Bogda Peak, a branch of Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the center of Turpan Basin, and is the administrative center of Turpan City. Gaochang District, with a total area of 13690 square kilometers and a population of 278700 (2018), is home to 27 ethnic groups, including Uygur, Han and Hui. Gaochang District, located at the heart of the Silk Road, is a famous historical town. Since the Han Dynasty, it has long been one of the political, economic and cultural centers in the western region of China.
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Travel Asks In Gaochang District