The Badlands
National Park in South Dakota is a must see visit with striking geologic
deposits containing one of the world's richest fossil beds ... including ancient
mammals like the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat. The park's 244,000 acres
protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie
dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today with 64,144 acres of the largest
prairie wilderness in the United States.
The Badlands were formed by the
geologic forces of deposition and erosion. Deposition of sediments began 69
million years ago when an ancient sea stretched across what is now the Great
Plains. After the sea retreated, successive land environments, including rivers
and flood plains, continued to deposit sediments. Although the major period of
deposition ended 28 million years ago, significant erosion of the Badlands did
not begin until a mere half a million years ago. Erosion continues to carve the
Badlands buttes today. Eventually, the Badlands will completely erode away. One
of the most complete fossil accumulations in North America is found within the
park. The rocks and fossils preserve evidence of ancient ecosystems and give
scientists clues about how early mammal species lived.
USA Patriotism! video with filming by Colby
Kuykendall, 2015
