Lorraine Plateau

Lorraine Plateau 

a highland in northeastern France (Lorraine), the eastern rim of the Paris Basin. It is bounded on the east by the Vosges Mountains, on the north by the Ardennes, on the west by the plains of Champagne, and on the south by the Langres Plateau. The Lorraine Plateau’s arched asymmetric cuesta ridges extend in a north-south direction, rising to 350-400 m in the Côtes de Moselle and Côtes de Meuse. Composed of Mesozoic limestone, the ridges are divided by clayey, marlaceous, or sandy depressions, drained by rivers of the Rhine, Maas, and Moselle basins. Beech and oak forests are found on the ridges. The river valleys are sown to wheat, root crops, and meadows, and livestock raising and viticulture are also important. The region has large deposits of iron ore and rock salt.