I have created 2 proposal pages for natural=mesa and natural=butte A mesa is defined as "A flat-topped elevated landform surrounded by cliffs". A mesa may also be known as a table or tableland, potrero or tepui. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:mesa
A butte is defined as "a hill with a flat top surrounded by cliffs." The width of the flat top is less than the relative height of the hill. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:butte So in contrast with a natural=butte, in a natural=mesa the width of the flat area is greater than its height above the surrounding terrain. I believe both of these features may be mapped as a node or as an area with a closed way. In contrast two these 2 features which are surrounded by cliffs or steep escarpments, the tag natural=plateau (already in use <100 times) is often used for large features that do not have clear boundaries, and therefore cannot be verifiably mapped as an area. I've also made a proposal page to help define natural=plateau, and suggest that it not be used with relations or areas. About the values of the tags, "mesa" and "butte" While one might use "table" or "tableland", these terms are somewhat ambiguous, and can be used for very large features. In contrast, the terms "mesa" and "butte" are fairly well defined in English, even though they are loan words from Spanish and French. There are few of these features in England, so it's not surprising that new words were needed. See: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/Tag:natural%3Dmesa https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/Tag:natural%3Dbutte https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposed_features/Tag:natural%3Dplateau _______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list Tagging@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
