York Plateau facts for kids

The York Plateau is a special flat area of land found in Alaska, a large state in the United States. It's located on the Seward Peninsula, which is a piece of land that sticks out into the sea. Imagine it like a big, high table of land that sits just west of the York Mountains.

Discovering the York Plateau

The York Plateau is a fascinating natural feature. It's a type of landform called a plateau, which is a large area of flat land that is much higher than the land around it. Think of it as a giant, flat-topped hill or mountain.

What Makes it Special?

The York Plateau is about 600 feet (or 183 meters) high. Its top surface is very smooth and hard. Over many years, water and weather have carved into it, creating valleys and canyons. This is why it's called a "dissected" plateau – it means it has been cut into by rivers and streams.

Rivers and Valleys

Big rivers flowing through the York Plateau have created wide valleys that reach almost down to sea level. Smaller streams, however, flow through much narrower and deeper cuts, like mini-canyons. These waterways help shape the unique look of the plateau.

Edges of the Plateau

• Southern Edge: To the south, the York Plateau ends suddenly with a very steep drop-off. This steep edge is called an escarpment. Below this escarpment, there's a narrow flat area of land, like a beach, that separates the plateau from the Bering Sea. Near a small place called York, this flat coastal land is about 50 feet (15 meters) high. Above that, there's another higher flat area, about 400 feet (122 meters) high, which is similar to the plateau itself but not as big.
• Northern Edge: Towards the Arctic Ocean in the north, the plateau slopes down more gently. Here, a wider flat coastal plain stretches for several miles inland. A large lagoon, which is a shallow body of water separated from the ocean by a barrier, lies between this coastal plain and the Arctic Ocean.

The Surface of the Plateau

The top of the York Plateau is covered with a thin layer of gravel. This gravel is "semiangular," meaning the pieces are not perfectly round but have some sharp edges. This tells us about how the rocks were broken down over time.