Badlands facts for kids

The Chinle Badlands at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah.

Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta.

Badlands of Hell's Half-Acre, Natrona County, Wyoming.

The Putangirua Pinnacles

Panoramic view of Las Médulas, Spain.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands are special areas of dry land that are very hard to travel through. They form when soft rocks are worn away by wind and water, leaving harder rocks sticking up.

These areas often have deep canyons, ravines, and gullies. It's very tough to walk or ride a horse through badlands, and impossible to drive a car. Dry badlands can have amazing colors, from dark black coal layers to bright clays and sandstone.

What Makes Badlands Unique?

The name "badlands" fits well because these places are difficult. They have steep slopes, loose dry soil, slippery clay, and deep sand. All these features make it hard to travel or use the land for other things.

Badlands usually form in dry areas that get strong, but not frequent, rainstorms. They also have very little vegetation (plants) and soft sediments. This combination leads to a lot of erosion.

Fossils in Badlands

Some of the most famous places to find fossils are in badlands. This is because erosion quickly uncovers layers of sedimentary rock. Also, since there aren't many plants covering the ground, it's easier for scientists to look for and find fossils.

Coal in Badlands

Sometimes, layers of coal are found in badlands. Because of this, some areas with badlands have become places for coal mining. For example, the Drumheller area in Alberta, Canada, has badlands. The Atlas Coal Mine historical site there shows the last of many mines that once operated in these badlands.

Where Can You Find Badlands?

Many well-known badland formations are in North America.

Badlands in the United States

In the U.S., you can find large badland areas in several places:

• Makoshika State Park in Montana
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota
• Badlands National Park in South Dakota

These three parks together form a huge series of badland formations. Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah also has badlands.

Badlands in Canada

Canada has significant badland areas too:

• The Big Muddy Badlands in Saskatchewan were once famous as a hiding spot for outlaws.
• A large badland area is in Alberta, especially in the valley of the Red Deer River. This is where Dinosaur Provincial Park is located.
• The town of Drumheller, Alberta, also has badlands, and it's home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

Badlands in New Zealand

A famous badlands formation in New Zealand is the Putangirua Pinnacles. These unique shapes were created by erosion wearing away a type of rock called conglomerate, which came from an old river delta. They are found at the end of a small valley near the southern tip of the North Island.

Badlands cut into shale at the foot of the North Caineville Plateau, Utah, in the pass carved by the Fremont River known as the Blue Gate.

Images for kids

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  Badlands in Drumheller, Alberta

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  Cheltenham Badlands- Caledon-Ontario

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  The "Calanchi" of Aliano, in the Italian region of Basilicata

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  Badland landscape from the Bárdenas Reales, in Navarre, Spain.

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  Toadstool Geologic Park in northwestern Nebraska

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  Valle de la Luna, San Juan, Argentina

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  Badlands in eastern Montana (Hell Creek Formation)

See also

In Spanish: Badlands para niños