The Badlands
Posted on 09/22/08 7:49 PM| by Kraig
Badlands are defined, geologically speaking, as a place where the arid terrain has seen extensive erosion, which has led to the creation of canyons, ravines, gullies, and other unique geological features. Badlands can be found all over the planet, but the most well known, and iconic, of these landscapes can be found in South Dakota.
The Badlands National Park, located in Southwest South Dakota, is a 244,000-acre preserve, while the Badlands Wilderness Area is another 64,144 acres dedicated to protecting these amazing landscapes, which combine sharply eroded buttes and towering spires, with wide-open grasslands.
Known for it’s unpredictable and widely varying weather, temperatures in the Badlands range from 110+ degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, to well below zero in the winter. Violent thunderstorms often break up the hot and dry spells during the summer months, while the winter is punctuated with long cold snaps with occasional snow. Constant, often extremely high, winds are a trademark of the area as well.
The same process of erosion that created the Badlands has made it a treasure trove for geologists and paleontologists alike. Layers of stratification have been laid bare, revealing the secrets of the Earth, as well as the fossils of dinosaurs that roamed the region more than 30 million years ago.
Home to herds of bison, bighorn sheep, antelope, and the black-footed ferret, the Badlands see more than a million visitors each year. To learn more about Badlands National Park and Wilderness Area, go to the official website found here.
Photo courtesy of TravelSD.com
