Arid lands, generally bare of vegetation, dissected to form ravines and sharp-crested hills developed best in weakly consolidated sediments. See B. Rorke and A. Yair (1989). This dissection is aided by the lack of vegetation, high run-off, and heavy sedimentation, which increases abrasion. Non-fluvial processes, such as mass wasting, piping, and tunnel erosion, are also important.

Badlands are useless for agriculture because of their intensely dissected landscape (Gallart et al. in L. J. Bull and M. J. Kirkby, eds 2002).