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.
Zizhou County is located in the hinterland of the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi and the southern edge of Yulin City. In 1944, it was built from Suide, Mizhi, Qingjian, Hengshan and other counties, named in memory of the revolutionary martyr Li Zizhou. The county covers an area of 2042 square kilometers, with a total arable land area of 1.37 million mu and a total population of 303900 (2017), including an agricultural population of 278800. The county has jurisdiction over 11 towns, 1 township, 1 subdistrict office, 279 administrative villages and 11 neighborhood committees. Zizhou County spans warm temperate zone and middle temperate zone, with continental monsoon climate characteristics. The territory of the gully vertical and horizontal, Liang Kui ups and downs, the terrain is high in the west and low in the east. The territory is rich in underground oil and natural gas resources. The Dali River and the Huaining River cross the border from the west and south. Liangchuan Road is known as "Miliangchuan". Demonstration of ecological construction of Buddhist temple