Sat Jul 20 2013 Theodore Roosevelt national park

Sat Jul 20 2013

Theodore Roosevelt national park, alias
the badlands of North Dakota.

As far as one see, the rugged badlands topography
reaches out to meet the sky. Each colored layer
tells a story about the land and changing past
environments. Volcanic ash carried into this area
by wind and water from the emerging rocky mountains
created the bluish layers of clay called bentonite.
Black layers of lignite coal indicate a wetter
climate and swamps. Lightning and range fires over
the years have ignited coal beds. The resulting fires
often burn for decades. Heat generated by the burning
coal bakes the overlying rocks into reddish clinker,
locally called "scoria". The brownish sandstone layers
where deposited during an alluvial plain stream bed
environment.

More prairie dogs on the lookout.

Some Buffalo in the badlands.

A nice sunset over Dickinson.

PS: thanks for the neighbors and Tim, to watch
my house while I was gone.