Escarpment

An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff, formed by faulting or by erosion, that marks the boundary between two relatively level areas of different elevation, typically presenting a gentle slope on one side and a steep scarp on the other. The word escarpment is sometimes used interchangeably with scarp, but an escarpment properly refers to the whole transitional margin between the two landforms, while a scarp is specifically the cliff or steep face itself. The same term also describes the zone between low coastal land and an inland continental plateau where erosion at the base of the plateau has produced a sharp, marked change in elevation.