Week 7 - Badlands Loop

At the location I stopped to visit was the Badlands Loop with its unique rock structures and patterns in the rocks. This area of the desert stood out to me for the beautiful rock designs.  For the purpose of construction a geological map would require knowledge of the rocks, analysis of folds, joints and faults caused by plate tectonic movements. An observations of the folds indicates to me that a significant number of lava intrusions from below caused the formation of the rocks. The geology of Death Valley is interesting, as there is not much vegetation on the rock formations. What factors in the geological process has caused this area to sink below sea level over time?