Mesas, buttes, fins and spires are formed by erosion just like plateaus. As water and wind erode the landscape, by moving rock and soil from one place to another, it changes shape and gets a new name. Mesas are plateaus that have been eroded into large islands by water and wind. As water and wind erode the mesa it shrinks in size and becomes a butte. An eroded butte is called a fin and an eroded fin a spire. But when a spire erodes there is nothing left. Wind and water erosion move rock and soil until the landforms disappear.