In geology, the erosion and removal of rock and soil around the sides of a landform while a more resistant core remains standing.
From Latin circum (around) + denudare (to strip bare), from de- (from) + nudare (to make naked), plus -tion (action noun suffix). The term describes stripping away material in a circular manner.
Circumdenudation creates iconic landforms like buttes and mesas in the American Southwest—imagine harder rock being protected while softer rock is stripped away in a circle around it, leaving islands of stone standing dramatically above plains.
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