Piping

Pipe Erosion

Quick Facts

Location:

Caprock Coulee Trail

The vertical “pipes” in the coulee walls are formed by a type of erosion called piping. Rainwater enters small surface openings, like rodent burrows or tree root tracks, and saturates the ground. The saturated ground then collapses, forming a pipe. The size of some pipes, up to several feet deep and wide, makes them a significant force of change in the badlands.