Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, South Dakota, USAi

Regional Level Types
Buffalo Gap National Grasslands	Protected Area
South Dakota	State
USA	Country

The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands are managed by the National Forest Service and cover about 596,000 acres in southwestern South Dakota including parts of Fall River, Pennington, Jackson, and Custer counties. The grasslands developed over sediments that were deposited from the erosion of the Black Hills Uplift. Breaks in the sod reveal massive amounts of alluvial gravels that contain many specimens that interest collectors. Many agates have been found in the gravel, the most sought after is the Fairburn agate. In some areas of the grasslands there are deep washes that expose sections of the White River Oligocene Badlands. Petrified “drift” wood is sometimes found with well-preserved growth rings in shades of brown, black, gray and tan.

Starting from Kadoka in the east, The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands extends westward surrounding the Badlands National Park thru Interior and Scenic to the Fairburn agate beds just east of the village of Fairburn. From there a wide swath drops south to the Nebraska border then westward to the Wyoming border (see the attached map). Search Kadoka, Badlands, Interior, Scenic, Fairburn, Oelrichs, and Ardmore for more information.

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