In geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope. Geomorphology (from Greek: γη ge, "earth" μορφή morfé, "form" and λόγος Logos, "knowledge" The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. In Geography and Geology, a cliff is a significant vertical or near vertical rock exposure Escarpment is generally used interchangeably with scarp (from the Italian scarpa^[1]). Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Some sources will differentiate between an escarpment and scarp. Escarpment then refers to the margin between two landforms, while scarp refers to or is synonymous with a cliff or steep slope ^{[2] [3]}. The surface of the steep slope is called a scarp face. Scarps are generally formed by one of two processes: either by differential erosion of sedimentary rocks, or by vertical movement of the Earth's crust along a fault (faulting). Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) In Geology a fault, or fault line, is a planar rock fracture which shows evidence of relative movement

Schematic cross section of a cuesta, dipslopes facing left, and harder rocklayers in darker colors than softer ones

Most commonly, an escarpment is a transition from one series of sedimentary rocks to another series of a different age and composition. When sedimentary beds are tilted and exposed to the surface, erosion and weathering may occur differentially based on the composition. Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. Less resistant rocks will erode faster, retreating until the point they are overlain by more resistant rock (see cross section schematic). When the dip of the bedding is gentle, a cuesta is formed. Strike and dip refer to the orientation or attitude of a Geologic feature In Structural geology and Geomorphology, a cuesta (from Spanish: "slope" is a Ridge formed by gently tilted Sedimentary rock Steeper dips (greater than 30-40°)^[2] form hogbacks. A hogback is a Homoclinal ridge composed of steeply tilted strata of rock protruding from the surrounding area

Escarpment face of a cuesta, broken by a fault. In Structural geology and Geomorphology, a cuesta (from Spanish: "slope" is a Ridge formed by gently tilted Sedimentary rock Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee. The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States.

Escarpments are also frequently formed by faults. In Geology a fault, or fault line, is a planar rock fracture which shows evidence of relative movement When a fault displaces the ground surface so that one side is higher than the other, a fault scarp is created. A fault scarp is the topographic expression of faulting attributed to the displacement of the land surface by movement along the fault This can occur in dip-slip faults, or when a strike-slip fault brings a piece of high ground adjacent to an area of lower ground.

More loosely, the term scarp describes the zone between coastal lowlands and continental plateaus which have a marked, abrupt change in elevation due to coastal erosion at the base of the plateau. In Geology and Earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting

Earth is not the only planet where escarpments occur. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 They are believed to occur on other planets when the crust contracts; as a result of cooling. In Geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon

Map of the Alpine Fault escarpment, beside New Zealand's Southern Alps. The Alpine Fault is a Geological fault, known as a right-lateral strike-slip fault that runs almost the entire length of New Zealand 's South Island. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Southern Alps is a Mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. About 500 km (300 mi) long.

Significant escarpments

Africa

• Elgeyo escarpment (Great Rift Valley)
• God's Window (South Africa)
• Great Escarpment (South Africa)
• Bandiagara Escarpment (Mali)
• Zambezi Escarpment (Zambia)
• Scarp of Angola (Angola)

Antarctica

• Usas Escarpment

Asia

• Vindhyan Escarpment (India)

Australia and New Zealand

• Australia
  • Darling Scarp
  • Dorrigo Plateau
  • Illawarra Escarpment
• New Zealand
  • The western slope of the Southern Alps (along the Alpine Fault)
  • The Kaimai escarpment, above the Hauraki Plains

Europe

• England
  • Cotswold escarpment
  • North Downs
  • South Downs
  • A colloquial adjective to describe escarpments in England is "edge" as in
    • Alderley Edge
    • Edge Hill famous as the place of the first battle of the English Civil War. Elgeyo escarpment is a fault-scarp caused by to post-Miocene faulting and there are Miocene beds visible The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by English explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trough approximately in length that runs God’s Window is a popular vantage point along the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The Great Escarpment is a mountainous Escarpment in south Africa. The Bandiagara Escarpment is an Escarpment in the Dogon country of Mali. Mali, officially the Republic of Mali (République du Mali is a Landlocked nation in Western Africa. Zambezi Escarpment is a name used for the Escarpments forming both sides of the Rift valley or Graben in which lie the middle Zambezi river and The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central Usas Escarpment ( is an expansive but discontinuous north-facing Escarpment in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. The Vindhya Range ( Sanskrit: विन्‍ध्य is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent which geographically India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Darling Scarp (previously known as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges) is a low Escarpment running north-south to the east of the Dorrigo Plateau is a Plateau in northern New South Wales, which forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The Illawarra Escarpment is the fold created cliffs and Plateau / eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Southern Alps is a Mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. The Alpine Fault is a Geological fault, known as a right-lateral strike-slip fault that runs almost the entire length of New Zealand 's South Island. The Kaimai Range is a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. The Hauraki Plains are an area located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. See also Cotswold The Cotswolds is a range of Hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England" The North Downs are a ridge of Chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles (190 km from Farnham in Surrey to the White The South Downs is one of the four areas of Chalk Downland in southern England. Alderley Edge is a village and Civil parish in Cheshire, England. Edge Hill ( is an Escarpment and hamlet in the county of Warwickshire, England. The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first Pitched battle of the First English Civil War. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists.
    • Kinver Edge
    • The Lincoln Edge
    • Wenlock Edge
• France
  • La Côte d'Or is famous for its wines and has given its name to a département, Côte-d'Or. Kinver Edge is a high Heath and Woodland Escarpment just west of Kinver, about four miles west of Stourbridge, and four miles The Lincoln Cliff is the portion of a major Escarpment that runs north-south through Lindsey and Kesteven, in central Lincolnshire and is Wenlock Edge is a Limestone Escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Côte d'Or (English Golden hillside is a limestone Escarpment in Burgundy, France that lends its name to the department which Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France. History Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French
  • Le Pays de Bray, a clay vale enclosed by chalk escarpments. The Pays de Bray is a small (about 750 km² Natural region of France situated to the north-east of Rouen, straddling the French départements Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite.
• Germany
  • Swabian Alb
• Sweden, Estonia and Russia
  • Baltic Klint
• Malta
  • Victoria Lines

North America

• Canada and the United States
  • Niagara Escarpment (Ontario, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin)
  • Onondaga (geological formation) (Ontario and New York)
  • Devil's Rock (Lake Temiskaming, Ontario)
• United States
  • Allegheny Front (Pennsylvania-Maryland-West Virginia)
  • Balcones Fault (Texas)
  • Caprock Escarpment (Texas)
  • Catskill Escarpment (New York)
  • Cody Scarp (Florida)
  • Elkhorn Scarp (San Andreas Fault)
  • Highland Rim encircling the Nashville Basin (actually a geologic dome) in Middle Tennessee
  • Knobstone Escarpment Southern Indiana
  • Mescalero Escarpment (New Mexico)
  • Missouri Escarpment (North Dakota)
  • Mogollon Rim (Arizona)
  • Muldraugh Hill (Kentucky)
  • Pine Ridge (Nebraska and South Dakota)
  • Pottsville Escarpment (Kentucky-Tennessee; see Cumberland Plateau)
  • Sierra Nevada range (eastern slope) in California. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Swabian Alb (Schwäbische Alb is a low mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending 220 km from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km Valaste jugajpg|thumb|right|Valaste Falls]]The Baltic Klint ( Clint, Glint; Balti klint Балтийско-ладожский уступ Глинт is an erosional The Niagara Escarpment is a long Escarpment, or Cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The Onondaga Formation is a group of hard Limestones and Dolostones of Devonian age that form an important geographic feature in the area of outcrop Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Devil's Rock or Devils Rock is a Granite Escarpment, located south of Haileybury, Ontario, Canada. Lake Timiskaming (Lac Témiscamingue is a large freshwater Lake on the provincial border between Ontario and Quebec, Canada Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec The Allegheny Front is a portion of the Escarpment that delineates the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau (locally called the Allegheny Plateau The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by The Balcones Fault is a zone of normal faulting in Texas ( USA) that runs approximately from the southwest part of the state to the north central region along Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Caprock Escarpment is a geographical transition point in Texas between the High Plains / Llano Estacado to the west and the North Central Plains Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Catskill Mountains (also known as simply the Catskills) a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Cody Scarp or Escarpment is located in north and north central Florida USA. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The San Andreas Fault is a geologic Transform fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1300 km through California in the United States. The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. The Nashville Basin is a term often used to describe the area surrounding Nashville Tennessee. Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties The Knobstone Escarpment is a rugged geologic region in Southern Indiana. Southern Indiana, in the United States, is notable because it is culturally and geographically distinct from the rest of the state The Mescalero Escarpment forms the western edge of the great Llano Estacado, a vast Plateau or tableland in the south-western United States. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The Missouri Escarpment is a ridge in North Dakota approximately 100 miles to the west of the Red River Valley, at the edge of the Missouri Plateau North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. The Mogollon Rim (mʌɡɨˈjɒn by local residents is a topographical and geological feature running across the U The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Muldraugh Hill is an Escarpment in central Kentucky separating the Bluegrass on the north and north-east from the Pennyrile on the south and The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. The Pine Ridge is an Escarpment between the Niobrara River and the White River in far northwestern Nebraska (a small section extends into Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The Pottsville Escarpment is a resistant Sandstone belt of cliffs and steep sided narrow crested valleys in eastern Kentucky, USA. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. The Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for "Snowy Range" is a Mountain range located in the U California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

The Sierra Escarpment in California

See also

• Cuesta
• Fall line
• List of scarps on Mercury

References

1. ^ scarp - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
2. ^ ^{a b} Easterbrook, D. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. In Structural geology and Geomorphology, a cuesta (from Spanish: "slope" is a Ridge formed by gently tilted Sedimentary rock In Geomorphology, a fall line (at times referred to as a fall zone) marks the area where an upland region (continental Bedrock) and a Coastal plain List of geological features on Mercury is an itemization of mountains valleys and other landform features of the planet Mercury J. (1999) Surface processes and landforms. (Second Ed). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
3. ^ Summary: Escarpments, US Army Corps of Engineers.