What Is The Difference Between A Mesa And A Butte

The difference between a butte and a mesa is in their heights and size of the flat tops.

Geographers use the rule of thumb. Due to the forces of erosion a mesa eventually gets reduced to a butte. One source states that a mesa has a surface area of less than 4 square miles 10 square kilometers while a butte has a surface area less than 11 250 square feet 1 000 square meters. One standard holds that a mesa has a surface area over 1 000 square meters while a butte has a surface area less than 1 000 square meters 11 250 square feet.