cuestanoun [ C ]
/ˈkwes.tə//ˈkwes.tə/specialized geology, environment a ridge (= high, narrow edge along a mountain) with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other:
The Niagara escarpment is a cuesta in southern Ontario.
More examples
- I had spectacular views cycling along the Cuesta de Miranda.
- El Morro is technically a cuesta, a long sloping mesa terminating in an abrupt bluff.
- The northwest-facing escarpment of the Jurassic chalk White Horse Hills is a UK example of a cuesta.
- Michigan's cuestas are mostly buried by thick deposits of glacial drift.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Geography: hills & mountains
- alpine
- arête
- Ben
- butte
- cirque
- cliff
- clifftop
- col
- drumlin
- hillock
- hilltop
- incline
- knoll
- mountainous
- Mountains
- mountainside
- orographic
- ridge
- shelf
- upland
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