Geography professor at SSU and son publish book on Western Badlands

Anthony J. Dzik, Ph.D., geography professor at Shawnee State University, has co-authored a book on the with his son, Vincent Dzik, a student at SSU, titled “Badlands of the American West: A Primer.”

The book presents an introduction to the Badlands environment in plain language and it is fully illustrated with 36 full-color photos, diagrams, and maps. The book is aimed at travelers and teachers who would like a concise overview of the processes that sculpted these dry country landscapes.

The book is about the jagged, jumbled topography of buttes, gullies and hoodoos fashioned by the relentless erosional work of running water and wind. It is a photographic essay illustrating the physical geography and geology of the Badlands environments.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
The regions featured are Little Missouri River Badlands of North Dakota; the White River Badlands of South Dakota and Nebraska; Paint Mines of Colorado; Makoshika State Park (badlands along the Yellowstone River in eastern Montana); Palo Duro Canyon of Texas; the badlands of Death Valley in California; the Painted Desert of Arizona; and Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah.

Photos from Death Valley to the Painted Desert to the Petrified Forest emerges colorful landscapes with photos that fill the pages of the book. A glossary of terms is also included.

Anthony Dzik teaches regional geography of the Great Plains and United States physical and medical geography. He is author and co-author of several books in physical and cultural geography and he has published a number of papers in geographic, medical and scientific journals.

“Badlands of the American West: A Primer” can be found online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. For more information, call (740) 351-3326 or e-mail tdzik@shawnee.edu.