If you go to about 42 deg 28 min N and 101 deg 16 min W (roughly Cherry county Nebraska) on Google Earth, you will see these ridges. Are these “ripple” marks from a giant drained lake? I thought this happened in Washington, but didn’t know if it was the cause of this geographic feature in Nebraska.
Anyone know?
That’s the Sand Hills, a large area of inactive dunes. The area was once desert, but is now mostly covered with grass. There’s local concern that a protracted drought will turn the area back into an active dune field.
For comparison: Washington scablands
My guess - wind. The reason the plains are called the plains is because nothing can grow but the grass because of the wind. I have no cite for that, I saw it on “Great Plains” from Planet Earth Series.