I absolutely love the rugged beauty of the badlands. These images were made during a recent family trip to the Royal Tyrell Museum near Drumheller, AB. It wasn’t a very nice day, and the kids were already tired and hungry, so I didn’t get to spend very much time roaming the badlands. I made sure to make a few images though because the arid landscape is extremely beautiful and it would be sad to come home with nothing at all.
Badlands are formed when different types of rock and soil erode away at different rates. The stratified layers of rock and dirt left behind are all different colors which can show up in vivid patterns when the light is right. As well the gradual erosion is constantly revealing new fossils, which adds a wee bit of excitement to visiting the area!
The erosion in the Drumheller area has revealed some of the highest concentrations of fossil remains that have been found anywhere. The area has been searched repeatedly by archaeologists and palaeontologists for decades. In fact the first dinosaur in the area was discovered over 100 years ago by Joseph Burr Tyrell (obviously the Royal Tyrell Museum was named in his honor).
