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.
Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, under the jurisdiction of Qinghai Province, which means "ruins" in Tibetan, is the first ethnic minority autonomous prefecture established in Qinghai Province and the second in China; the terrain is high in the north and south, low in the middle, and low in the west and east; it is a typical cold climate. The state has a total area of 267000 square kilometers and has jurisdiction over 1 city and 5 counties with a total population of 409500 in 2017. There are unique plateau natural scenery and folk customs in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, including Yushu song and dance, Tibetan costumes and peculiar customs and customs, Princess Wencheng Temple and Buddhist temples of many sects. There are statues of Zongkhapa Buddha in the Shidui and Gangcha Temple in Xinzhaijia, and three national nature reserves, namely, Sanjiangyuan, Longbaotan and Hoh Xili. The state has more than 40 scenic spots and scenic spots for sightseeing. The Folk Customs of Yushu