Burial scaffold in Nebraska badlands, 19th-century illustration. The corpse at upper left, attended by a relative, has been elevated above the ground according to the customs of the indigenous people of the area. This has been done due to the difficulties of digging a grave in these badlands in Nebraska, USA. The erosive pattern seen here is typical for soft sediments in an arid region, where rain only comes in occasional torrential downpours. The rain erodes the sediments, leaving a ridged and undulating landscape. Artwork published in 'Les arteres du globe' ('The Arteries of the Globe', 1888), a work on hydrology and geology by Paul Bory.