A hill or ridge with a steep slope on one side and a gentle slope on the other, commonly found in arid regions.
From Spanish 'cuesta' meaning slope or hill, derived from Latin 'costa' meaning rib or side; used in English geology since the 1800s.
The Colorado Front Range and many desert landscapes are dotted with cuestas—they form when tilted rock layers erode unevenly, creating these distinctive one-sided mountains that look like a giant staircase from above.
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