Badland is moderately steep to very steep barren land dissected by many intermittent drainage channels. Ordinarily, the areas are not stony. Badland is most common in semiarid and arid regions where streams cut into soft geologic material. Local relief generally ranges between 10 and 200 meters. Potential runoff is very high, and erosion is active.
Beaches are sandy, gravelly, or cobbly shores washed and rewashed by waves.
The areas may be partly covered with water during high tides or storms. Blown-out land consists of areas from which all or most of the soil material has been removed by extreme wind erosion. The areas are generally shallow depressions that have flat or irregular floors. Areas covered by water most of the year are mapped as Water. Some areas have a few hummocks or small dunes.