Amy did a little more research following our last book club meeting and discovered this: there are places in the badlands where lignite (coal) has been struck by lightning & has continued to burn.
"It is NOT lava, as I thought it had to be," she said. "It's coal that is either exposed or near to the surface, just as Roxanna says in the book. I hadn't reached that part of the book this time around until tonight, and so I was searching for all the wrong info. Isn't it incredible? I'm amazed!! Three cheers to Leif Enger for doing his homework!!"
http://www.outdoorplaces.com/
Another fascinating short hike is the 8/10 of a mile Coal Vein Trail. Tucked away in the many layers that form the badland formations black lines of lignite coal sits at varying levels in the park. Occasionally through lightning or even spontaneous combustion these coal layers ignite and can burn for decades, even centuries. This moderately difficult trail highlights such a coal vein that burned 1951 to 1977. During the height of the fires, embers, smoke and flame could be seen rising from the hillside and people would even roast marshmallows at the fires edge! Here you can see a scoria formation formed by this fire. It also provides an amazing view of habitat on hot and dry southern facing slopes versus habitat on cool damp northern facing slopes of the bluffs and hills that make the South Unit of the park.
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