intermontane

In geography, an intermontane is a feature that lies between mountains. The term refers to plateaus and basins formed by geologic processes. Intermontane plateaus are usually flat open highlands formed when land has been uplifted by tectonic activity. Basins are formed by run-off sediment from the surrounding mountains.

Throughout the western Americas the north-south cordillera is split into a coastal mountain range and one or two interior ranges. In between lie a series of intermontane plateaus. In North America, the intermontane plateaus are situated between the coastal ranges and the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. and Canada. This latter chain of mountains continues into Mexico as the Sierra Madre.

Examples of Intermontane features are:

• Altiplano - Large intermontane region of southwestern Bolivia and southern Peru.
• Bighorn Basin - Plateau in Wyoming, U.S.
• Cariboo - Interior plateau of British Columbia, Canada.
• Great Basin - Large plateau of Nevada and other states in southwestern U.S. bordered by the Sierra Nevada on the west, the Columbia Plateau on the north, the Rocky Mountains on the northeast, the Colorado Plateau on the east, and the Mojave Desert on the south.
• Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - Largest intermontane plateau in the world; covers 2.2 million square kilometers and averages 4,000 metres above sea level.
• South Park (Colorado basin)

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