Two Top and Big Top Mesa

Two Top and Big Top Mesa
Two Top and Big Top Mesa
	Map of North Dakota
Location	Billings County, North Dakota
Coordinates	47°18′08″N 103°29′16″W / 47.30222°N 103.48778°WCoordinates: 47°18′08″N 103°29′16″W / 47.30222°N 103.48778°W
Area	14 acres (5.7 ha)
Designated	1965

Two Top and Big Top Mesa are two adjacent mesas about one mile (1.6 km) apart in western North Dakota. They were declared National Natural Landmarks in 1965.^[1] The tops of the mesas are rare examples of undisturbed grassland which have never been grazed or cultivated. They are located in or around the Little Missouri National Grasslands.

Geology[]

Big Top mesa is approximately 12 acres (4.9 ha) while Two Top is around 2 acres (0.81 ha). They rise about 400 feet (120 m) above the badlands. They are made of sandstone, Morton silt loam and clay.^[1]^[2]

References[]

^ ^a ^b "National Natural Landmark designation". National Park Service. June 25, 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
^ Quinnild, Clayton L; Hugh E. Cosby (1958). "Relics of Climax Vegetation on Two Mesas in Western North Dakota". 39. Ecological Society of America: 29–32. JSTOR 1929963. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links[]

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Big Top Mesa

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[nnl-1] "National Natural Landmark designation". National Park Service. June 25, 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.

[relic-2] Quinnild, Clayton L; Hugh E. Cosby (1958). "Relics of Climax Vegetation on Two Mesas in Western North Dakota". 39. Ecological Society of America: 29–32. JSTOR 1929963. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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