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.
Gaoping City, which belongs to Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, is located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, the northern end of Zezhou Basin, the southwest edge of Taihang Mountains, the geographical coordinates of longitude 112o 40 & #39;--113 °10 & #39;, latitude 35 °40 & #39;--36 °0 & #39. Bordering Lingchuan County in the east, Qinshui County in the west, Zezhou County in the south, Shangdang District and Changzi County in Changzhi City in the north, it is the north gate of Jincheng City, which is named because it is surrounded by mountains on all sides and relatively flat in the middle. Gaoping City belongs to the temperate monsoon climate zone, cold in winter and summer, with four distinct seasons. The city has jurisdiction over 3 streets, 9 towns and 4 townships, with a total area of 946 square kilometers and a total population of 484900 (2010). Gao Ping is in the middle