The Badlands Guardian – Walsh, Alberta - Atlas Obscura
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The Badlands Guardian

Walsh, Alberta

A face emerges from the landscape when seen from the air. 

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Located in southeastern Alberta, Canada, near Medicine Hat, this great geological wonder can only be seen from high above the ground.

Nevertheless, its humanoid details are stunning when one considers that human hands took no part in shaping this large mass of rock. The profile was formed by the erosion of rainwater on layers of clay-rich soil.

Viewed from the air, the feature bears a strong resemblance to a human head wearing a full First Nations headdress. In a humorous (or tragic) turn, the additional man-made structures make it appear to be wearing earbuds, like an enormous iPod commercial.

The headphone’s wires are formed by a dirt road, and the earpiece is formed by an oil well where the road ends. The Badlands Guardian is only one of many geological and landscape oddities that have recently been discovered using Google Earth images.

Know Before You Go

visible only from the air

Easy to see on Google Earth
just go to coordinates:
50.010611,-110.113422

geological oddities geology
Nearby
Saamis Tepee
25.67 miles
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
36.60 miles
Red Rock Coulee
41.47 miles
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