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.
Jianzha County is located in the southeast of Qinghai Province and in the north of Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Most of Jianzha County is bounded by the Yellow River and Hualong County in the northeast, Xunhua County in the southeast, Guide County in the west and Tongren County in the south. The county is about 87 kilometers from north to south and 48 kilometers from east to west, with a total area of 1714 square kilometers. As of 2011, the total population was 54300, of which 40, 000 were ethnic minorities, with Tibetans accounting for about 62% of the total population. The county has jurisdiction over 3 towns and 6 townships. Jianzha County has profound religious and cultural accumulation, which is the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism. Kambra National Geopark is famous for its "Danxia" scenery composed of red gravel. There are three major monasteries in the park: Nanzong Temple, Nigu Temple and Nanzongza Temple. It is the only religious place in Qinghai Province where monks, secrets and nuns coexist.