cuesta
/ˈkwɛstə
/noun Geology
A ridge with a gentle slope (dip) on one side and a steep slope (scarp) on the other.These form light coloured, erosionally resistant cuestas including Jabal Kawr and several smaller mountains south of Al Hamra....
- The Poison Strip Sandstone begins with this sandstone unit and contains other prominent cliff-forming, coarse-grained to conglomeratic sandstone units that cap many cuestas in the area.
- Observation of these remnants, and early enthusiasm for erosion surfaces, probably caused many phantom surfaces to be reported, although bevelled cuestas are real.
Origin
Early 19th century (originally a US term for a steep slope at the edge of a plain): from Spanish, 'slope', from Latin costa 'rib, flank'.