ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors describe and analyze the effects of the spatial and temporal variability of geomorphic erosional and depositional processes over a ten-year period in an area of badlands in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. They firstly examine how a number of spatially different types of surface respond to externally induced processes by adjustments of form and surface character, especially elevation, through time. The authors secondly discuss the problem of identification of thresholds and their existence, and thereby define response during subthreshold periods, in a landform type that is exceptionally sensitive to variations in geomorphic processes. Badlands, thus, are seen as potentially disequilibrium landforms since they are characterized by accelerated erosion and are perpetually on the very margins of threshold conditions. In the badland slope profile, adjacent units respond to similar levels of extrinsic thresholds quite differently, reflecting the durability and intrinsic qualities of any particular lithology.
