 We often joke about the Wyoming wind being gauged by a cement block being chained to a post. But have you ever thought about the actual impacts a sustained wind can have on our landscapes? An area located about 15 miles west of Laramie is an example of the power of the Wyoming wind. The Big Hollow is the second largest wind-eroded depression in the world. It is the largest deflation basin or blowout formed by particles being removed by wind in North America. The Big Hollow is an undrained basin and is 11 miles long, 4 miles wide, and up to 200 feet deep. The basin is actually listed on the National Natural Landmark List. The Big Hollow is known to be less than 250,000 years old due to it being younger than the alluvial valley floors, which now form its boundaries. It is of late Pleistocene age and during much of this time the Big Hollow was actually a hill composed of soft sedimentary bedrock. The hole was made because the material that made up this former hill was much more easily eroded than the material on its north and south boundaries. So the next time you're outside and the wind is blowing against your face, take time to appreciate the power of this force and how it has shaped some of our landscapes. From the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Rachel Miller, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.