Desert Aeolian (Wind) Landforms
Aeolian landforms of erosion
- The wind is responsible for the formation of a number of distinct landforms:
- Deflation hollows and desert pavements
- Ventifacts
- Yardangs and zeugens
- Rock pedestals
Ventifacts
- Ventifacts are faceted cobbles and pebbles that have been abraded and shaped by wind-blown sediment
- Formed in the direction of the prevailing winds
- The windward side is separated from the leeward side by sharp edges
Diagram showing the formation of a ventifact
Yardangs
- Yardangs look like an upturned boat
- They are elongated, streamlined ridges, that are less than 10m high and more than 100m long
- They are formed where vertical layers of resistant and less resistant rock are aligned to the direction of the prevailing wind
- The less resistant rock is eroded by abrasion, forming deep troughs and leaving behind vertical, yardangs of resistant rock
- People are not 100% sure about their formation yet, but due to their alignment with the prevailing winds and the abrasion from sand erosion at their bases, this suggests that wind plays a part in their formation
Zeugens
- Zeugens form in the same way as yardangs, but the layers of resistant and less resistant rock lie horizontally
- The resulting ridges can be anything from 3-30m high
- Joints in the resistant rock widen through weathering
- Abrasion deepens the furrows down into the less resistant rock beneath
- Undercutting of the furrows may also occur, to give them a pedestal-like shape, with a flat cap rock which protects the underlying, less resistant rock
- As the primary process is abrasion, which is concentrated within 2m of the desert floor, zeugens often have an eroded, narrower base
Yardangs and zeugens form in the same way, but the layers of resistant and less resistant rock lie differently
Pedestal rocks
- Pedestal rocks are also called 'mushroom rocks'
- Thought to be the final remains of a zeugen and are again primarily formed as a result of aeolian abrasion
- Can also be found in areas where isolated rock peaks are exposed to the surface
- Made of alternating, horizontal bands of sedimentary rock
- Winds carrying fine sand particles act as an abrasive and start cutting and polishing the exposed rock
- Abrasion works up to a maximum height of 2m
- The softer, least resistant rock is eroded faster than the case hardened upper cap
- Effectively creating a mushroom-like structure
- Continued erosion leads to the eventual collapse of the pedestal
Image showing the formation of a pedestal 'mushroom' rock
Exam Tip
You may have to describe the formation of a landform. Refer to shape, size, geology and field relationship (position of the landform in relation to the landscape). Make sure you are able to draw a labeled diagram of the landform to support your description.
Aeolian landforms of deposition
- Wind-deposited material occurs as:
- Sand sheets
- Ripples
- Dunes and sand seas
Sand sheets
- These are flat areas of sand with sand grains that are too large to saltate (bounce)
- 45% of all depositional surfaces are of this type e.g. Selima in South Egypt
Sand ripples
- These are small landforms formed by the wind
- They consist of crests and troughs and develop at right angles to the wind
- As the wind increases the wavelength and height, the crest height increases too
- Sand ripples form with a combination of saltation and surface creep
- Sand is removed from one crest to another, as sand is eroded from the windward side and deposited on the leeward side of the crest
- Asymmetrical ripples form when wind flows in a single direction
- Symmetrical ripples form where winds flow in two directions
- The main difference between a ripple and a dune is size, with dunes being taller than about 10 cm
Asymmetrical Symmetrical
Asymmetrical ripples are non-uniform, whereas symmetrical ripples show distinct ridges and grooves
Sand dunes
- The wind eventually blows sand into a network of troughs, crests and ripples that are perpendicular to the wind direction
- They are the consequence of saltation
- Accumulations of sand build into mounds and ridges
- They become a dune when the crest is about 30 cm high and the slip-face's angle of repose is 34°
- Dunes grow as sand particles move up the gentle, windward slope by the processes of saltation and surface creep
- The sand particles continually fall over the crest of the dune, onto the steeper, slightly concaved, leeward slope/slip face
- The top of the slip face is steep because it is made of fine-grained sand and is kept steep by wind eddies
- The bottom of the slip face is gentle and contains coarse-grained sand and may have further sand ripples
- A sand dune can move up to 30m a year and can be several meters high
- The Duna Federico Kirbus, Argentina is the highest dune in the world, measuring 1234 meters in height (2845m above sea level)
- The Big Dipper, Merthyr Mawr, Wales is home to the tallest dune in the UK, and the second-largest in Europe, measuring around 61m
Image showing how a sand dune is formed, dependent on wind and loose sand.
Types of sand dunes
- There are many types of sand dunes but the two most common are:
- Barchan dunes
- Seif or longitudinal dunes
Barchan dunes
- These are the typical crescent-shaped dunes
- Found in isolation in deserts where there is a limited supply of sand, but a very dominant wind direction
- Barchan dunes form at right angles to the prevailing wind in one direction
- They have horns that curve towards the slip face, which are pushed forward by the wind
Diagram showing the characteristic features and formation of barchan dunes
Seif or longitudinal dunes
- These are elongated, linear sand dunes
- Most often found in extensive areas of sand known as sand seas
- They can stretch for several hundred metres
- Formed from two dominant prevailing winds in two different directions
- One blows in one direction for part of the year
- The second blows from the other direction for the remainder of the year
- Seif dunes form parallel to the wind direction and may develop from barchan dunes
Diagram showing the formation of seif dunes