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Little Missouri Badlands

Ecoregion on Great Plains in MT, ND

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The Little Missouri Badlands ecoregion is highly dissected, sparsely vegetated, and lies within the watershed of the Little Missouri River. Ephemeral, flashy stream flow is typical and has created steep, downcut channels. Both erosion rates and drainage densities are high, and as a result, streams carry heavy sediment loads. Fine-grained, sedimentary rock of the Tertiary Fort Union and the Cretaceous Hell Creek formations outcrop on steep slopes. Vegetation is typically sparse shortgrass prairie; clumps of Rocky Mountain juniper grow on north-facing hillslopes while Northern Floodplain forest grows along drainage ways. Physiography, soils, and land use are distinct from those of the Missouri Plateau (43a), Sagebrush Steppe (43e), and Montana Central Grasslands (43n). The dissected topography, wooded draws, and uncultivated areas of the Little Missouri Badlands (43b) are havens for wildlife. Grazing and recreation are the dominant land uses. The Little Missouri Badlands (43b) ecoregion extends into the Dakotas.

— EPA

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