The Plateau
Type
Geographic Region
Climate
Temperate to tropical, with a considerable change in temperature due to 3,000-foot elevation.
Secrets
Contains a 'lost world' of Jurassic life forms; inhabited by a race of 'Missing Links' who resemble Professor Challenger; contains volcanic vents of blue clay rich in diamonds.
Mood Tags
- •mysterious
- •ancient
- •dangerous
- •isolated
- •prehistoric
- •glamour
- •romance
Government
Tribal hierarchy led by an ape-man chief.
Size Scale
Area as large as Sussex
Description
A vast, green-capped upland area isolated by perpendicular basaltic cliffs, containing a lost world of prehistoric life.
Inhabitants
Prehistoric creatures including dinosaurs (Iguanodons, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus), pterodactyls, giant snakes, and a race of whiskered, red-haired ape-men.
Accessibility
Extremely difficult to scale; requires finding a specific, hidden path used by Maple White; reached via a secret tunnel of verdure; currently accessed via a fallen beech tree bridge from an adjacent pinnacle.
Plot Relevance
The central destination of the narrative where prehistoric life has been artificially conserved.
Culture Customs
- •Arboreal seclusion
- •Use of sticks and stones as weapons
- •Tying captives with creepers
First Appearance
Professor Challenger's study (via sketch-book and photographs)
Geography Layout
An oval contour about thirty miles by twenty, shaped like a shallow funnel with all sides sloping down to a central lake.
Languages Spoken
- •Jabbering and chattering vocalizations
Notable Features
- •Perpendicular basaltic cliffs
- •Green-capped summit
- •Isolated from the rest of the continent
- •Inhabited by Jurassic monsters
- •Curiously striated basaltic upheavals
- •Luxuriant vegetation on the summit
- •Central lake
- •Volcanic pits of blue clay
Timeline
Volcanic Upheaval
A great volcanic event in a far distant age lifts the plateau en bloc, isolating its life forms.
Maple White's Discovery
American artist Maple White reaches the summit and sketches the prehistoric inhabitants.
The Expedition Reaches the Goal
The party arrives at the base of the plateau, verifying Challenger's claims.
The Bridge Crossing
The expedition party crosses a fallen beech tree from the Pinnacle to the Plateau.
The Trapping
Gomez destroys the bridge, trapping the four explorers on the plateau to avenge his brother.
The Pterodactyl Attack
The party is attacked by pterodactyls while exploring the plateau.
The Night Horror
A carnivorous dinosaur stalks the camp and is driven off by Lord John with a firebrand.
The Ape-man Encounter
Malone encounters an ape-man while climbing the gingko tree.
The Capture
Ape-men descend from the trees and capture Challenger, Summerlee, and Lord John.
The Great Battle
A combined force of Accala Indians and the four explorers defeat and exterminate the male ape-men.
The Final Departure
The explorers leave the plateau through a secret cave passage, descending the cliffs by rope.
