plateau

1. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.
2. A relatively stable level, period, or state: Mortgage rates declined, then reached a plateau.

[French, from Old French platel, platter, from plat, flat. See plate.]

For more information on plateau, visit Britannica.com.

Any elevated area of relatively smooth land. Usually the term is used more specifically to denote an upland of subdued relief that on at least one side drops off abruptly to adjacent lower lands. In most instances the upland is cut by deep but widely separated valleys or canyons. Small plateaus that stand above their surroundings on all sides are often called tables, tablelands, or mesas. The abrupt edge of a plateau is an escarpment or, especially in the western United States, a rim.

A period during training or the learning of a skill when there is no apparent improvement in performance even though practice continues. This is sometimes called the ‘plateau of despond’ because it is so discouraging. The condition may be due to staleness or the need of the body to have time to adapt to the demands of training. If staleness is the cause, improvement usually follows quickly after a short rest or a change in the type of training. If staleness is not the cause and training continues, the plateau invariably passes and is often followed by a period of accelerated improvement. However, there is a risk of overtraining. See also physiological limit.

An extensive and relatively flat upland. Some are formed structurally, from resistant and horizontal rocks, or from the outpouring of plateau lavas as in the Deccan of India; others are erosion surfaces.

For other meanings, see Plateau (disambiguation).

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Monte Roraima

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau. A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity.

The largest and highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau, called the "roof of the world", which is still being formed by the collisions of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. In all the Tibetan plateau covers an area of some 2.5 million square kilometres which is approximately 5000m above sea level. The height of this plateau is such that it is enough to reverse the Hadley convection cycles and drive the monsoons of India to the south.

Bogotá, Colombia is located in a high plateau, over Template:Convert/ft. high

In North America the largest plateau is the Colorado Plateau covering an area of 337,000 km² (130,000 mi²).^[1]

Notes

1. ^ Leighty, Dr. Robert D. (2001). "Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province". Contract Report. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DOD) Information Sciences Office. http://www.tec.army.mil/publications/ifsar/lafinal08_01/five/5.1.5_frame.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-25. 

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References

• "Plateau" at scienceclarified.com.

See also

• Oceanic plateau for submarine or undersea plateaus
• Altiplano
• Table Mountain (disambiguation)
• Mesa
• Potrero
• Tuya
• Butte
• Atherton Tableland
• Chapada

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - plateau, højslette
v. intr. - flade ud

Nederlands (Dutch)
plateau, hoogvlakte, niveau, stabiel niveau bereiken

Français (French)
n. - (Géog) plateau, (fig) palier, période ou état relativement stable
v. intr. - atteindre un palier, se stabiliser

Deutsch (German)
n. - Plateau, Hochebene, Obergrenze, (Psych.) Plateau-Phase
v. - sich stabilisieren, sich nivellieren

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (γεωγρ.) οροπέδιο, υψίπεδο

Italiano (Italian)
altopiano, culmine

Português (Portuguese)
n. - platô (m), planalto (m), centro de mesa (m)

Русский (Russian)
плато, плоскогорье

Español (Spanish)
n. - meseta, altiplanicie
v. intr. - topear, detener, alcanzar un piso o un techo en el valor de algo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - platå, högslätt, nivå

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
高地, 高原, 达到稳定时期或状态

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 高地, 高原
v. intr. - 達到穩定時期或狀態

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 고원, 정체상태
v. intr. - 정체상태에 달하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 高原, 停滞期, 安定状態

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) النجد : السهل الواسع المرتفع, مستوى أو حاله تتسم باستقرار نفسي, يبلغ مرحله أو طور من أطوار الاستقرار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮רמה, מישור גבוה, אי-התקדמות, דריכה במקום, קיפאון‬
v. intr. - ‮התייצב לאחר צמיחה‬

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