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Badlands


 
 



Badlands are a type of aridArid

An arid environment has a high precipitation deficit, receiving much less precipitation annually than would satisfy the cli...
 terrainTerrain

Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface....
 where softer rocks and clayClay

Clay is a term used to describe a group of hydrous aluminium phyllosilicate minerals , that are typically less than 2 μm...
-rich soilSoil

Soil is the collection of natural bodies that form in earthy material on the land surface....
s have been extensively erodedErosion

Erosion is the displacement of solids by the agents of wind, water or ice, by downward or down-slope movement in response t...
 by windWind

Wind is the roughly horizontal movement of air caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface....
 and waterWater

Water is a tasteless, odorless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known as the universal solve...
. CanyonCanyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep sonoma often carved from the Earth by a river....
s, ravineRavine

A ravine is a very small valley, which is often the product of streamcutting erosion....
s, gulliesGully

A gully is a landform created by running water eroding sharply into a hillside....
, hoodooHoodoo (geology)

Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands....
s and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to navigate by foot. Badlands often have a spectacular colour display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays to red scoriaFacts About Scoria

Scoria is the vesicular ejecta of mafic to intermediate magmas such as basalt and andesite....
.

Features

The term "badlands" represents a consensus in North America: the Lakota called the topography "Makhóšica" and Spanish colonists called it malpaísMalpais Summary

In Spanish, Malpais means badland....
, both literally bad land, while French trappers called it "les mauvaises terres à traverser" – "the bad lands to cross". The term is also apt: badlands contain steep slopes, loose dry soil, slick clay, and deep sand, all of which impede travel and other uses. Badlands form in arid regions with infrequent but intense rain-showers, sparse vegetation, and soft sediments: a recipe for massive erosion.

Some of the most famous fossilFossil

Fossils are the mineralized or otherwise preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms....
 beds are found in badlands, where erosion rapidly exposes the sedimentSediment

Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of sol...
ary layers and the scant cover of vegetationVegetation

Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by fa...
 makes surveyingSurveying

Surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional space position of poin...
 and fossil hunting relatively easy.

Locations

Some of the best-known badland formations can be found in the United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
 and CanadaFacts About Canada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
. In the U.S., Makoshika State ParkMakoshika State Park

Makoshika State Park is the largest of Montana's state parks at more than 11,000 acres....
 in MontanaMontana

Montana is a state in the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains regions of the United States....
, Theodore Roosevelt National ParkTheodore Roosevelt National Park

Established in 1978, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a United States National Park comprising three geographically separ...
 in North DakotaNorth Dakota

North Dakota is a Midwestern state in the United States....
 and Badlands National ParkBadlands National Park Summary

Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, preserves 242,756 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spir...
 in South DakotaSouth Dakota

South Dakota is a Midwestern state in the United States....
 together form a series of extensive badlands formations. Another popular area of badland formations is Toadstool Geologic ParkToadstool Geologic Park

Toadstool Geologic Park is located in the Oglala National Grassland in far northwestern Nebraska....
 in the Oglala National GrasslandFacts About Oglala National Grassland

The Oglala National Grassland is a United States National Grassland located in northwestern Nebraska....
 of northwestern NebraskaNebraska

Nebraska is a Great Plains state of the United States....
. The Big Muddy BadlandsFacts About Big Muddy Badlands

The Big Muddy Badlands are a series of badlands in southern Saskatchewan and northern Montana along Big Muddy Creek....
 in SaskatchewanSaskatchewan

Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three prairie provinces....
, CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
 gained notoriety as a hideout for outlawsOutlaws

An outlaw is a person living outside the law. ...
. There is a sizable badland area in AlbertaAlberta

Alberta is one of Canada's provinces....
, CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
, particularly in the valley of the Red Deer RiverFacts About Red Deer River

Red Deer River is a river in Alberta, Canada....
 where Dinosaur Provincial ParkDinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park is located about 2 hours drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada or 48 kilometres northeast of the c...
 is located. The Royal Tyrrell Museum of PalaeontologyRoyal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is located in Midland Provincial Park near Drumheller, Alberta, Canada....
 in Drumheller, AlbertaDrumheller, Alberta

Drumheller is a town in the Badlands of east-central Alberta, on the Red Deer River....
 and Dinosaur National MonumentDinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument is a U.S....
 in UtahUtah

Utah is a U.S. state located in the western United States....
 are also badlands settings, and exhibit fossils found in the area. A small badlands called Hell's Half-Acre is present in Natrona County, WyomingWyoming

Wyoming is a state of the western United States....
. It is famous as one of the locations for the filming of Starship TroopersStarship Troopers (film)

Starship Troopers is a 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Edward Neumeier, and starring Casper Van Dien, D...
 (1997).

Arguably the most well known badlands formation in New ZealandNew Zealand

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean consisting of two large islands and many much smaller islands, m...
, the Putangirua Pinnacles – formed by the erosion of the conglomerateConglomerate (geology)

A conglomerate is a rock consisting of individual stones that have become cemented together....
 of an old alluvial fan – are located at the head of a small valley near the southern tip of the North islandNorth Island

he North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island....
. An European famous badland is the Accona DesertAccona Desert

The Accona Desert is a semi-arid area in Tuscany, Italy, in the center of the so-called Crete senesi, near the comune of...
 near SienaSiena

This article is about the Italian city....
, ItalyItaly

Italy, officially the Italian Republic , is a Southern European country....
.

Although most badland scenery is natural, there are some spectacular examples produced by mining, such as the RomanAncient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of the city-state of Rome, founded in the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th cent...
 gold mine of Las MédulasLas Médulas

WHS = Las M?dulas| Image = | State Party = ...
 in northern SpainSpain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a European parliamentary monarchy....
.

See also

  • ErosionErosion

    Erosion is the displacement of solids by the agents of wind, water or ice, by downward or down-slope movement in response t...
  • GeomorphologyGeomorphology

    Geomorphology is the study of landforms, including their origin and evolution, and the processes that shape them....