Badlands are a type of arid terrain with clay-rich soil that has been extensively eroded by wind and water. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to walk upon. Badlands usually have a spectacular color display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays to red scoria. The term "badlands" has dual origins: the Lakota called the topography "mako sica", literally "bad lands", and French trappers called it "les mauvaises terres à traverser" - "the bad lands to cross". The naming is apt. Badlands form in areas of infrequent but intense rain-showers and sparse vegetation, a recipe for devastating erosion. The landscape contains steep slopes, loose soil, and clay, all of which inhibit easy travel. (Definition from Wikipedia article: Badlands at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlands)