Badlands in Hungary

January 09, 2011

Badlandsin Hungary 
Photographer: Alexandra Farkas
Summary Authors: Alexandra Farkas; Stu Witmer

The photo above shows a unique badlands northeast of Budapest, Hungary. This area is one of Europe’s largest basalt plateaus and was formed about 15 million years ago during the Middle Miocene period when it was covered by the Paratethys sea. Over the eons, rainfall has dissected the surface. The exposed rock is composed of small pumice fragments and particles of rhyolitic tuff. The tuff is rare in Europe because of its bare, fissured surface, jointed grooves and deep, erosional gullies. These badlands are part of the Novohrad - Nograd Geopark, covering an area of about 610 sq mi (1,587 sq km) including parts of Slovakia as well as Hungary. The park is also of interest for its wealth of fossils. Like similar badlands of North and South Dakota, Oregon, central Italy and the Cappadocia area of Turkey, the scenery can be quite dramatic. Photo taken on April 24, 2009.

Photo Details: Fuji Finepix S9600 digital camera; ISO 80; f/5,7; 1/500 second exposure; focal length 28 mm; five picture panorama.

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