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.
Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture under the jurisdiction of Qinghai Province, adjoining Haidong and Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the east, Haixi Mongolian Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the west, and Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the south. The terrain is mainly mountainous across Qinghai Lake and Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the north, surrounded by mountains and centered in the basin, which is a typical plateau continental climate. The state has a total area of 44500 square kilometers and has jurisdiction over five counties; the permanent population is 476300 in 2018. Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has undulating mountains, continuous rivers, dense forests and rich tourism resources. there are mainly national scenic spots such as Qinghai Lake, Riyue Mountain, inverted River, Longyangxia Hydropower Station, Heyin Town, Shenshan Ancient Temple Saizong Temple, Fujia Ancient City, Tongde Hebei Forest Farm, Zhihai Snow Mountain and other places of interest and natural landscape. Within the territory