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Virtual Vista: Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

Across the high plains of the United States, sedimentary strata ranging in age from Cretaceous to Tertiary were deposited in a shallow epicontinental seaway in extensive horizontal layers. These strata are generally composed of fine sandstone, siltstone, shale, and volcanic ash and are very easily eroded.

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Stream incision into these loosely consolidated deposits combined with effects of weathering and erosion resulted in formation of "badlands" - a highly irregular landform composed of complex gullies with little or no soil or vegetation.

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At Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA, this landform is very well developed in sedimentary strata from the Tertiary Period, as these Virtual Vistas illustrate. The exposed bluffs of semi-consolidated sedimentary materials are continually changing as wind and water sculpt the land surface.

Erosion is so efficient, no soil forms on the exposed slopes, and vegetation cannot gain a foothold in the crumbling debris. The lack of vegetation enhances the efficiency of wind and water erosion in this landscape.

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To learn more about Badlands National Park, visit the National Park Service website.








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