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.
Jindong District, established in February 2001, now has jurisdiction over eight towns, one township and two streets, with a total area of 658.19 square kilometers and a population of 361500. It is located in Jinqu Basin in central Zhejiang, between Jinhua and Yiwu, west of Jinhua City, east of Yiwu, south of Yongkang and Wuyi, and north of Lanxi. It is not only the core area of the urban agglomeration of central Zhejiang and Jinyi City, but also an important node of Jinyi Golden Spindle. The transportation network of Jindong is well developed, with the double track of Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, Jinwen Railway, National Highway 330 and Provincial Highway 03 running through the whole territory. Hangzhou-Jinzhou-Quzhou Expressway, Jinliwen Expressway and Yong-Jin Expressway all have interchange ports in the area, and high-grade highways in the region account for more than 40%. The level is on a par with that of developed countries.