Plateaus A plateau is an extensive upland region.

It is also referred to as tableland, since it essentially flat-topped and stands conspicuously above an adjacent land area. Along its outer margin it gives way to hills or mountains. Elevation of Plateaus The elevation of most plateaus of the world exceeds 2,000 feet. Origin of Plateaus Most plateau regions are the result of diastrophism and volcanism. Diastrophism - deformation of the Earth's crust, and more especially to folding and faulting. All processes that move, elevate or build up portions of the earths crust come under diastrophism, which includes orogenic processes involving mountain building through severe folding and affecting long and narrow belts of the earths crust. (Along the outer margin of the plateaus, it gives way to hills or mountains.) Volcanism - magma rises from the mantle causing the ground to swell upward, in this way large, flat areas of rock are uplifted. Plateaus can also be built up by lava spreading outward from cracks and weak areas in the crust. Economic Importance of Plateaus One of the greatest economic values of plateau canyons is that they can be dammed to impound the water in large reservoirs. (The stored water can then be used for irrigation and for the generation of electricity.) The plateaus are famous for minerals. Some plateaus (Deccan plateau of India, Western Australian plateau and Brazilian plateau) are very good sources of minerals. Iron, copper, gold, diamonds, Manganese, coal, etc., are found in them. Plateaus have cooler climates than those of plains. For example, new colonies have developed on the plateaus in the tropics. Temperate crops can be grown in their upper parts where the temperature is lower. In lowlands, tropical products can be grown. Life History of Plateaus Plains A plain is a land surface that is comparatively flat and relatively close to sea level. They are vast and flat and are very conducive to habitation. (For these reasons, the plains of the world have the highest density of population. Some of them have been cradles of famous civilizations. Large rivers and their tributaries that provide enough water for human and animal consumption.) Origin of Plains Plains may have been formed from flowing lava, deposited by water, ice or wind, or formed by erosion by these agents from hills and mountains. Some Kinds of Plains of Deposition

(When we say deposition, is the geological process by which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass. Fluids such as wind and water, as well as sediment flowing via gravity, transport previously eroded sediment, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the fluid, is deposited, building up layers of sediment.) COASTAL or MARINE PLAINS - Most of the plains in the Philippines are coastal or marine plains and are found in 82% of provinces just like the Ilocos and Zambales plains. (They consist of rock waste weathered by waves from sea cliffs and brought by rivers to oceans. A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features.) FLAT PLAINS - A highly developed agricultural region like the Central Plain of Luzon has flat interior plains. It is drained by Agno River which flows into the Lingayen Gulf and the Pampanga River and its tributaries that empty into the Manila Bay. (Sometimes inland plains are formed when seas or lakes get filled in with sediment or soil and become flat plains.) FLOOD PLAINS alluvium deposits near rivers that overflow are places for flood plains. They are smooth, nearly level surfaces that slope away from the river into marshy back swamps. (Alluvium sediment deposited by flowing water) (Adjacent to a stream, river, lake or wetland that experiences occasional or periodic flooding. Flood plains are filled with irregular materials.) DELTA PLAINS are formed at the mouths of rivers or wherever they lose speed and leave alluvial deposits. Life History of Plains Importance of Plains It is on plains, large and small, that most of the worlds population, agriculture, cities, commercial districts, and transportation centers are found. Canals, railroads, roads and airports are also built on plains. (The reason is that plains are easy to cultivate, easy to cross and move products across and easy to build on. The soil is finer, deeper, and more fertile than in neighboring areas.) Summary Two of the most important flat landscapes elements are the plains and the plateaus. Both are flat, but the difference is that plateaus are elevated and plains arent elevated. So, plateaus are high and plains are low. Usually, wide rivers flow through plains. The land near these rivers is very fertile, so its good for growing crops. That fertile land is called riverbank. On the riverbanks, people grow crops that need lots of water, like fruit, vegetables and rice. Rivers dont flow so often in plateaus, so they are drier compared to plains. Therefore, plateaus arent so fertile. On plateaus, people use to grow crops that dont need so much water, like wheat and barley.