Badlands

A Badland (also Badlands ) (from english bad land - " bad land ") is a cut-up of deep, closely spaced gullies terrain in arid areas.

The surface of the earth in Badlands is characterized by slightly efflorescent rocks and open bottoms. Mainly shales, mudstones and clays are eroded rapidly by water or wind action, which leads to the formation of the typical surface forms. Important geomorphic forms in Badlands are canyons, gorges and hoodoos. A Badlands area consists mainly of ever-expanding ravines and valleys, to stand between those sharp ridges. Some Badlands also have a spectacular color scheme that alternates between eg black / blue coal streaks and yellow / reddish clay deposits.

Properties

The term " Badlands " finds equivalents in several languages ​​especially in North America: The Lakota called the topography " Makhóšiča ", literally for " bad land ", while French fur trappers the badlands known as " les mauvaises terres à traverser " (ie " the difficult to be crossed country "). The Spaniards said they were malpaís, tierra Baldía ( " Wasteland " ) and Cárcava.

Badlands have steep slopes, loose, dry soils and deep sand, making it difficult to traverse as well as other uses. Badlands form in arid regions with irregular, but very heavy precipitation events, sparse vegetation and loose sediments - these are all very good conditions for massive erosion and denudation.

Some of the most famous fossil finds come from Badlands since the massive erosion exposes the sedimentary layers and makes relatively easy the lack of vegetation cover monitoring and search for fossils.

Dissemination

Known Badlands are located in the United States, for example in the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, in the area of the Grand Staircase in Utah and Arizona, or in Hell's Half Acre in Casper ( Wyoming). In Canada Badlands are widely used in the Canadian Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta. In Germany there are Badlands, for example, at the foot of the castle match between Gotha and Erfurt and at the edge of the ridge Bedhard in the Eifel Bitburg. In Croatia, the village Sterna extensive badlands are north-east in the form of so-called marl dunes in the center of the Istrian peninsula. You are in the " white Istria ", as the karst-landscape of Istria is also called. In France Badlands are widely used for example in the Jurassic marls around the plateaus of the Causses, and also occur in the red mudstones around the Salagou. Spain also has Badlands, such as at Las Médulas in the province of León.

Small scale badlands on the south side of the castle peers in Thuringia

Badlands of Las Médulas, Spain