Badlands Topography
Badlands, or colloquially "popcorn" topography, is the result of clay mineral-rich sediment lithifying into soft sedimentary rocks like shale, mudstone, or siltstone in a region later affected by tectonic uplift. Uplift and subsequent erosion create the hilly structure of the badlands, while the clay-mineral rich sedimentary rock (which is susceptible to periodic expansion and contraction due to water absorbtion/evaporation) is resposible for the heavily fractured pattern on the surface, as well as the alternating layers/distinct bands of color throughout the hills' structure.