Badlands national park, south dakota
Lush green prairie quickly drops off into arid badlands as you scan the horizon. Deposition over tens of millions of years and erosion over ~500,000 carved the landscape of today. At the current pace of erosion, this area will be flattened in another 500,000 years – better go visit soon!
Distinct layers of rock show the area’s history: the beige and burnt orange heart of the badlands show evidence of shrubbery, woodland and volcanic ash covered landscapes from 28-34 million years ago while the yellow / pink mounds show a dried black ocean floor from 67 million years ago that was covered in sediment carried from rivers and streams flowing from the Black Hills 34-37 millions years ago.
Sunset and sunrise here gave us up close and personal interactions with the animals that call this area home. Bison saunter in the fields; prairie dogs poke their heads out to greet to their neighbors and soak up the morning sun; bighorn sheep munch on roadside greens. The animals all looked uncomfortable, itching to expedite the shedding of their winter coats.
