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.
Zhumadian, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Henan Province, is located in the central and southern part of Henan Province, located in the hilly plain area of the upper reaches of the Huaihe River, on the third geomorphological step of the country, across the eastern edge of Nanyang Basin and Huaibei Plain, in the transition zone between subtropical and warm temperate zone; the total area is 15083 square kilometers, with jurisdiction over 1 district and 9 counties; the total population is 8.0518 million in 2018. Zhumadian is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization, the core area of the creation activities of Pangu, the humanistic ancestor of the Chinese nation, and the hometown of Xuanyuan Huangdi's wife Kuizu. It is the weapons manufacturing center of the warring States period and the hometown of Cai's, Jin's and Jiang's families. There are 7 forest parks in the city, including 4 national forest parks with more natural and cultural landscapes. Zhumadian also has the hometown of Liangzhu, the tomb of Li Si, the prime minister of Qin, and the hexagram pavilion painted by Fuxi.