Intermontane Plateaus

Intermontane Plateaus
Name	Intermontane Plateaus
Location	Global
Type	Plateau
Formation	Tectonic uplift, erosion, volcanism

Intermontane Plateaus Intermontane plateaus are elevated, relatively flat or gently undulating landforms situated between mountain ranges, known for distinct geomorphology and regional significance; they occur in contexts such as the Columbia Plateau, Deccan Plateau, Tibetan Plateau, Colorado Plateau, and the Anatolian Plateau, and have influenced historical events like the Silk Road and the Mongol Empire. These plateaus connect features like the Rocky Mountains, Himalayas, Andes, Alps, and Atlas Mountains and affect river systems including the Yellow River, Mekong River, Amazon River, Mississippi River, and Yangtze River.

Definition and Characteristics

Intermontane plateaus are defined as elevated regions bounded by or lying between orogenic belts such as the Western Cordillera, Central Asian Orogenic Belt, Scandinavian Mountains, and Great Dividing Range. Typical characteristics include a broad planation surface, step-like escarpments adjacent to ranges like the Sierra Nevada and the Andean Volcanic Belt, and basins similar to the Great Basin and the Tarim Basin. Vegetation and landforms often mirror nearby regions such as the Gobi Desert, Patagonian Steppe, Sahel, Mojave Desert, and Pontic–Caspian steppe, while human routes traverse corridors like the Khyber Pass, Bosphorus, and Darvaza.

Formation and Geology

Formation processes include uplift related to plate interactions among plates such as the Indian Plate, Eurasian Plate, Pacific Plate, Nazca Plate, and North American Plate and crustal shortening seen in the Alpine orogeny and Laramide orogeny. Volcanism from hotspots like the Columbia River Basalt Group and the Deccan Traps and fault-bounded block uplift as in the Basin and Range Province shape many plateaus. Stratigraphy records sedimentary sequences tied to basins like the Paraná Basin, Amazon Basin, Tarim Basin, and Siberian Craton with metamorphism tied to terranes such as Laurentia, Gondwana, and Kazakhstania. Paleogeographic reconstructions reference events like the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, Pleistocene glaciation, and the Eocene Thermal Maximum that influenced erosion and deposition on plateau surfaces.

Major Examples Worldwide

Notable intermontane plateaus include the Tibetan Plateau adjacent to the Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains, the Colorado Plateau between the Wasatch Range and the Rio Grande Rift, the Columbia Plateau within the Cascade Range context, the Deccan Plateau bounded by the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats, the Altiplano nested in the Andes, and the Anatolian Plateau between the Pontic Mountains and Taurus Mountains. Additional examples include the Mongolian Plateau near the Altai Mountains, the Mexican Plateau flanked by the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental, the Patagonian Plateau by the Andes, the Ethiopian Plateau adjacent to the East African Rift, the Colorado Plateau’s neighbors Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, the Tibetan Plateau’s proximity to Lhasa and Qinghai Lake, and intracontinental highs like the Brazilian Highlands and the Central Siberian Plateau.

Climate, Ecology, and Soils

Climates on intermontane plateaus range from arid conditions exemplified by the Great Basin Desert and Gobi Desert to temperate plateaus like the Pacific Northwest uplands and tropical highlands such as the Ethiopian Highlands. Vegetation includes steppe and grassland communities like those on the Pontic–Caspian steppe and Pampas, montane forests related to Taiga and Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and alpine zones akin to the Alpine tundra and Páramo. Soils derive from parent materials including lava flows of the Deccan Traps and Columbia River Basalts, loess deposits like those of the Loess Plateau, and alluvial fills in basins akin to the Indus Basin, supporting ecosystems tied to species such as the Tibetan antelope and Andean condor.

Human Settlement and Land Use

Human occupation has involved pastoralism exemplified by Mongol and Kazakh nomadic traditions, sedentary agriculture on terraces seen near Lhasa and the Andean terraces, and urban centers such as Addis Ababa, Lima, Mexico City, Ulaanbaatar, and Denver, Colorado. Routes across plateaus enabled trade corridors like the Silk Road, military campaigns such as those of the Mongol Empire, and colonial-era expansion via entities like the British East India Company and Spanish Empire. Water management projects including the Three Gorges Dam, Hoover Dam, Aswan High Dam, and irrigation schemes in the Indus Valley and Nile Valley have reshaped plateau hydrology, while cultural landscapes reflect heritage linked to sites like Tikal, Machu Picchu, Persepolis, and Lhasa.

Economic Resources and Infrastructure

Intermontane plateaus host mineral deposits including copper in regions like Chuquicamata, lithium in the Salar de Uyuni near the Altiplano, coal in basins akin to the Powell River coalfields, and hydrocarbons in basins such as the Tarim Basin and the South Caspian Basin. Agricultural outputs include cereals in the Loess Plateau, viticulture in Mendoza Province, and pastoral wool production tied to New Zealand and Mongolia. Infrastructure projects traverse plateaus via roads like the Trans-Amazonian Highway, railways such as the Trans-Siberian Railway, pipelines like the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, and airports serving high-elevation cities like El Alto International Airport. Conservation efforts involve agencies and treaties associated with UNESCO World Heritage Site designations, national parks like Yellowstone National Park, Skaftafell, and management by organizations such as the IUCN and WWF.

Category:Plateaus