The term prairie is an ecological term used to describe a geologic plain covered by mostly grass. Prairies have been subdivided into smaller, more specific categories by the type of vegetation they support. Short grass and long grass prairies historically covered most of the central portion of the United States. However, the grasses have been replaced by urbanization and agriculture, but the plain still exists.

The Great Plains of the United States support one of the most famous prairies in the world. As with all prairies, the area is supported underneath by a firm bedrock. In this case, the bedrock is composed of limestone deposited by a relatively continuous series of ancient seas that advanced and retreated across America and Canada for millions of years. Dolomite, containing high levels of magnesium, is the primary building block of the bedforms.

Overlying the bedrock are massive and extensive fossil coral...