The Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve
The Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve lies on the periphery of Richland Washington. The preserve is a wonderful place to see the entire Tri-Cities and the magnificent landscape that surrounds it.
The area of the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve is in the middle of urban sprawl and would have been used for urban development had it not been for a group of residents from the Tri-City region banding together to buy the land and preserve it for future generations to enjoy and learn from.
A haven for Geologists and Hobbyists
The Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve on the edge of Richland Washington, is a haven for geologists and hobbyists, with so many rock formations and geological structures to study and enjoy. Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve itself is a folded piece of rock formed by the buckling of deeper, underlying, geological forces that formed the magnificent landscapes that we see all around us.
The north face of Badger Mountain Centennial Reserve has shown evident signs that the entire area lies on a fault zone, where the Earth’s crust moves against itself creating mountain ranges, even new islands, and continents. It is a great sight for geologists to study the mechanisms at work when the Earth moves and how it affects the land surface. It is a living, breathing, a geological laboratory where we can see the Earth’s forces constantly at work, even as we speak.
Because Badger Mountain Centennial Reserve lies on a fault zone, it comes as no surprise that Badger Mountain is actually a series of mountain ridges formed from lava flows, some millions of years ago as Mother Earth was still designing this spectacular piece of land in Richland Washington. In fact, exploring Badger Mountain will show you hardened lava flow formations that have been dated to be from eight to twelve million years old.
Unique Rock Formations
A unique feature of the Badger Mountain Centennial Reserve is that the higher you go up its peak, the older the rock formations become. Commonly, newer rocks collect over older ones, which would mean that the older rocks would be down at the bottom. This characteristic is due to the sharp slope of the land, the newer rock formations slowly eroded over time, revealing the older, more weather-resistant rocks underneath.
The Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve in Richland Washington lies on the northeast, and southwest axis and is a part of a continuous geological feature that extends down to the state of Oregon.
The Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve in Richland Washington is truly a land worth keeping and protecting. If you go up its zenith, you will be treated to a magnificent view of the Tri-Cities. Badger Mountain and the land around it have been standing tall for millions of years. They have earned the right to be here. They have earned the right to stay.
Related Resources For Richland Washington Activities:
- Land of Three Rivers
- Kennewick Rivers
- The Columbia River
- The Snake River
- River Recreation
- Port of Pasco
- Richland Steelhead Fishing
- Kennewick Water Follies
- Hydroplane Races
- Naturalist's Paradise