Badlands Photo

GEOLOGY OF THE SAN JUAN BASIN BADLANDS

LINKS TO DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE SEDIMENTARY ROCKS, NATURAL FORCES AND LONG GEOLOGIC HISTORY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BADLANDS AND THEIR FOSSILS, INCLUDING GEOLOGIC MAPS, DIAGRAMS, AND PHOTOS

The endless large and small scale natural sculptures in the San Juan Basin Badlands are definitely not coincidental.

Their unprecedented abundance has several reasons. A long, relatively stable geologic history produced thick, diverse sedimentary rock layers and rich fossil treasure troves. Then just the right amount of tectonic uplift allowed natural climatic forces to go to work sculpting. In a sense, all these factors lead to the “perfect storm” of hoo doo creation.

THE 6 LINKS BELOW ACCESS TEXT, MAPS, DIAGRAMS, AND IMAGES TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THE BADLANDS FORMED

1. INTRODUCTION TO HOO DOOS – Looks at the cosmic and climatic forces that carved the badlands and poses some questions regarding the “meaning” of all those hoo doos

2. SAN JUAN BASIN GEOLOGY – An exploration of the basin’s structure, sedimentary layers, and long geologic past with emphasis on ancient ecosystems and environments.

3. SEDIMENTARY ROCKS – General terminology regarding different types of sedimentary rocks with emphasis on specific ones found in the badlands.

4. SAN JUAN BASIN SEDIMENTARY LAYERS – Information on the specific badlands forming sedimentary layers or “formations” found in the basin.

5. BADLANDS FOSSILS – A look at the eventful geologic past and rich biological communities that created the detailed fossil record in the basin.

6. THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT BADLANDS FORMING LAYERS – More specialized information on the four layers responsible for seven out of the nine badlands featured on this site.

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A photographic tour of New Mexico’s incredible San Juan Basin Badlands.