Final answer:
The basic structural feature characterizing the Basin and Range province is the presence of horsts and grabens, which are elevated plateaus and low basins formed by extensional deformation and normal faults.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Basin and Range province of the western United States is characterized by its unique topography of alternating basins and ranges. This area can be easily recognized by its dominating features: horsts and grabens. These structures are formed by extensional tectonics, which involve the stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust, resulting in a series of normal faults. The extension leads to the creation of high block mountains, or horsts, and lower basin areas, or grabens.
Comparatively, the Valley and Ridge Province, such as that found in New Jersey, differs from the Basin and Range Province as it was formed from different geological processes. While the Basin and Range is formed mainly through extension and normal faulting, the Valley and Ridge Province was created through the deposition and slight deformation of sediments associated with ancient orogenies, such as the Taconic and Acadian.