Aeolian Geomorphology

Introduction
• Wind is capable of eroding, transporting and depositing the surface
materials.
• Aeolian landforms are features of the Earth's surface produced by
either the erosive or constructive action of the wind.
• The word “Aeolian” is derived from “ Aeolus” , in Greek meaning, the
god of the winds.
Aeolian = wind
• Aeolian landforms are found in regions of
the Earth where erosion and deposition
by wind are the dominant geomorphic
forces shaping the face of the landscape.
Regions influenced by wind include most
of the dry climates of the Earth:
• arid deserts
• semiarid steppe
• Wind can also cause erosion and
deposition in environments where
sediments have been recently deposited
or disturbed.
• lake and ocean coastline beaches,
• alluvial fans
• farmland where topsoil has been disturbed
by cultivation
Transportation
• Wind erosion of surface particles begins when air velocities
reach about 4.5 meters per second.
• A rolling motion called traction or creep (the later term should
not to be confused with soil creep) characterizes this first
movement of particles.
• In strong winds, particles as large as small pebbles can move
through traction. About 20 to 25 percent of wind erosion is by
traction.
• The second type of wind sediment transport involves particles
being lifted off the ground, becoming suspended in the air, and
then returning to the ground surface several centimeters
downwind. This type of transport is called saltation, and this
process accounts for 75 to 80 percent of the sediment transport
in dry land environments.
• Saltating particles are also responsible for sending additional
sediment into transport. When a falling particle strikes the
ground surface, part of its force of impact is transferred to
another particle causing it to become airborne. Small sized
particles like silt and clay have the ability to be lifted well above
the zone of saltation during very strong winds and can be
carried in suspension thousands of meters into the air and
hundreds of kilometers downwind.
Wind erosive factor
• Unlike streams, wind has the ability to transport sediment up-slope as well as down-slope.
• The relative ability of wind to erode materials is slight when compared to the other major erosional
mediums, water and ice.
• Ice and water can have greater erosive power primarily because of their greater density. Water is about 800
times more dense than air (density of air is 1.29 kg m-3, while the density of water is 1000 kg m-3).
• This physical difference limits the size of particles wind can move.
• The power of wind to erode surface particles is controlled primarily by two factors: wind velocity and surface
roughness.
• Erosive force increases exponentially with increases in wind velocity. For example, a velocity increase from 2
to 4 meters per second causes an eight-fold increase in erosive capacity, while an increase in wind speed
from 2 to 10 meters per second generates a 125-fold increase in erosional force. Consequently, fast winds
are capable of causing much more erosion than slow winds.
• At ground level, the roughness of the surface plays an important role in controlling the nature of wind
erosion. Boulders, trees, buildings, shrubs, and even small plants like grass and herbs can increase the
frictional roughness of the surface and reduce wind velocity. Vegetation can also reduce the erosional effects
of wind by binding soil particles to roots. Thus, as a general rule, the areas that show considerable amounts
of wind erosion are open locations with little or no plant cover.
Wind deflation
• The blowing out and scattering of rock particles by wind is called as
deflation. This term is originated from the Latin word “ Deflare” means
“blow away”. The surface of any desert is covered by diverse fragments of
rocks, sands, soils and dusts. These are arid zones. In such arid zones,
streams and jets of air can blow-out the sands and rock particles.
• First, the blowing wind clears the sandy and fine grained materials, and
leaves the coarser fragments behind. These form the rocky deserts. Such
rocks are again weathered or fragmented and then, once again, deflation
becomes active. Deflation is the lifting and removal of fine, dry particles of
silt, soil, and sand by the blowing wind.
• The effective force of a wind depends on its velocity. Even with little
velocity wind can lift most of the fine dusts.
• Both Stony and rocky deserts are formed due to deflation
Stony and desert pavements
 Threshold Velocity
• Threshold velocity can be defined as
velocity required to entrain a particle
of a particular size. In general, the
larger the particle, the higher the
threshold velocity required to move it.
• This law can sometimes be broken
when clay sized particles are involved
in the entrainment process. Clay
particles have a general tendency to
become cohesively bonded to each
other. This aggregation results in the
clumping of several particles into a
mass of much larger size. As a result,
the threshold velocity required to
entrain clay is as great as the wind
speed required to move grains of sand.
Silt is usually the easiest type of
particle to be entrain by wind.
 Terminal falling velocity
• Terminal fall velocity can be defined as velocity at which a particle
being transported by wind or water falls out and is deposited on the
ground surface. Figure describes the terminal fall velocities for clay,
silt, and sand sized particles for wind. On this semi-log graph, a
simple, some what linear, relationship is observed. The larger the
particle the greater the wind speed that is required to keep it moving
above the ground surface.
Deposition deposits
• Loess is another major deposit created by wind.
• It is important for humans because it creates very
fertile soils.
• Large deposits of loess exist in northeastern China,
central plains of the United States, Pampas of
Argentina, the Ukraine, and central Europe.
• Loess is mainly composed of silt. Because of its
small size it can be held in suspension and carried
great distances by wind.
• Most loess deposits appear to have been formed
by winds that blew over glacial deposits during the
Pleistocene. The major deserts of the world also
appear to have produced significant amounts of
loess.
• Recent research has uncovered that soils in the
Amazon basin may have been enriched with loess
deposits that originated from African deserts.
 Coriolis effect
• an effect whereby a mass
moving in a rotating system
experiences a force (the Coriolis
force ) acting perpendicular to
the direction of motion and to
the axis of rotation
• Deflects moving air
• Air flows from high-pressure
areas to low-pressure areas
• Winds deflected to the right in
the Northern Hemisphere
• To the left in the Southern
Hemisphere
Erosional landforms
Deflation Basins
• Depression created through deflation, also known as Deflation
hollows e. g. Quattara depression (Egypt), Buffalo Hollow (American
Great Plain) Big Hollow (Wyoming, USA), Pong Kiang Hollow
(Mongolian Desert)
Mushroom Rocks
• Rocks having broad upper part
and narrow base formed due to
abrasion at base. Abrasive action
of wind acting on exposed
weakness of horizontally bedded
rocks (hard above and soft
below) thereby producing a
tabular mass of resistant capping
upon softer rocks beneath
Demoiselles
• Rock pillars having relatively
resistant rocks at the top and soft
rock below. These are formed due
to differential erosion.
 Yardangs
• Yardangs are composed of cohesive silts and clays, sandstone, or limestone.
They develop in regions with strong uni-directional winds.
• Many of them are during dry, windy periods of Pleistocene. Yardangs are
classified on basis of size as Mega-yardangs, Meso-yardangs and Micro-
yardangs.
• Mega-yardangs can be of several kilometers long and hundreds of meters high.
A large concentration of mega-yardangs is found near the Tibesti Mountains in
the central Sahara. • Meso-yardangs are generally a few meters high and 10 to
15 meters long. They are more common, and can be found throughout the
Sahara. • Micro-yardangs are only a few centimeters high.
 Ventifacts
• Faceted rock boulders, cobbles and pebbles
formed due to prolonged wind abrasion (one
abraded face-Einkanter, two abraded faces-
Zweikanter, three abraded faces-Dreikanter).
Mesa, butte, pinnacles
• Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat
top
• Plateau >> mesa >> butte >> pinnacles
Mesa
Buttes
Buttes and pinnacles
Pinnacles
Depositional landforms
Ripple
• Wave like features formed by saltation impact. They may be
transverse or longitudinal
Sand Dunes
• Heaps or mounds of sands.
• They are mobile landforms and may be coastal dunes, riverine dunes,
and lacustrine dunes.
• Formation of Sand dunes requires:
I. Abundance of sand
II. High velocity of wind
III. Obstacles such as tree, bushes, rocks, forests etc.
Barchan dunes Crescent-shaped dune whose long axis is transverse to the dominant wind direction. The points of
the dune, called the wings of the barchan, are curved downwind and partially enclosing the slip-face. Barchans usually form where there is a
limited supply of sand, reasonably flat ground, and a fairly even flow of wind from one direction. Single slipface.
Parabolic dunes Crescent-shaped dune whose long axis is transverse to the
dominant wind direction. The points of this dune curve upwind. Multiple slip-faces. These dunes
form when scattered vegetation stabilizes sediments and a U-shaped blowout forms between
clumps of plants.
Longitudinal dunes Sinuous dune that can be more than 100 kilometers long and 100 meters high. Created
when there are strong winds from at least two directions. The dune ridge is symmetrical, aligned parallel to the net direction of the wind, and
has slip faces on either side.
Seif dunes Sub-type of longitudinal dune that is shorter and has a
more sinuous ridge.
Star dunes Large pyramidal or star-shaped dune with three or more sinuous radiating ridges from a central peak
of sand. This dune has 3 or more slip faces. Produced by variable winds. This dune does not migrate along the ground, but does grow
vertically.
Dome dunes. Where is the location of these
dunes?