Which plateau is geographically described as the “Median Mass” between the Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains?
The Tibetan Plateau is the “Median Mass” in Kober’s theory. It is a relatively undeformed, high-altitude block trapped between two parallel mountain ranges: the Himalayas to the south and the Kunlun to the north. As these ranges were folded upward by tectonic compression, the vast area between them was uplifted as a single, flat unit. ANSWER: (B) Tibetan Plateau
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In geomorphology, a “Median Mass” refers to the central part of a geosyncline that remains relatively undisturbed while its margins are folded into mountain ranges. The Tibetan Plateau is the world’s most prominent example, squeezed between the northward-moving Indian Plate and the stable Eurasian Plate. While the pressure created the soaring peaks of the Himalayas and the Kunlun, the central Tibetan block was pushed vertically to an average height of 4,500 meters. This location defines its “intermontane” status and explains why it remains a vast, high-altitude tableland rather than a series of jagged peaks.