Arid Landforms

Aeolian = Eolian ?
(Aeolus was Greek god of winds)

Aeolian is British ?
Eolian is American ?
Approximately one-third of the land surface
the Earth is considered to be desert-barren
land with meager rainfall that can support
only sparse vegetation and a limited
population
There are several kinds of deserts, but they all
have one thing in common - they each receive
less than 25 cm (~10") of precipitation per
year.
Landforms Made By Wind
 Basic Concepts
1. Most deserts exhibit highly angular landscapes
• mechanical weathering dominates
•angular particles of weathered rock; bedrock
outcrops
• little soil or vegetation to soften landscape
2. Softer, more rounded landscapes appear where
deposition is predominant
• dunes
3. Desert rainfall is infrequent, intense, and
unreliable
• intense flash flooding, intense erosion
• ephemeral streams
 Types of Deserts
A. Erg - sea of sand
•Largest are Sahara and Arabian Deserts (sand
covers about 20% of world’s deserts)
•Vegetation is rare
•Sand probably formed during more humid climate
Death Valley, California
B. Reg desert: Pavement of loose
pebbles and stones (N. Africa)
Desert pavement - forms when wind
removes all of the fine-grained sand from a
system, leaving only the coarse gravel
behind, may be very thin coating of stones
 A gibber plain [stony
(often ventifacts)
desert (Australian)
Desert pavement
AEOLIAN (WIND) PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
Aeolian Erosion - much less effective than fluvial
• deflation - the movement of small particles
• abrasion - polishes and etches exposed surfaces
Aeolian Transportation - moves nothing bigger
than sand
• dust storms - can extend thousands of feet up
• sand storms - only very near the surface
Aeolian Deposition - dunes form and shift where
winds and terrain combine to slow the winds or
block the movement of dunes
 Aeolian processes
Abrasion: a physical weathering process in
which particles carried by wind wear down a
surface by impact
Deflation: lifting and transport in turbulent
suspension by wind of loose particles of soil or
regolith from dry ground surfaces
Deflation produces blowouts;
Deflation and water action produce desert
pavement
Ventifacts: stones that have been sculpted
by the wind
Desert varnish - the patina of iron and
maganese oxides left on rocks after
they have undergone long periods of
chemical weathering in the desert
Desert varnish -
oxidation of iron and
manganese, useful for
dating desert surfaces
 DESERT FLUVIAL
PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
Fluvial Erosion - rare, intense flash floods
•steep slopes; steep-walled canyons; washes, wadis,
arroyos, canyons.
•fluvial systems decrease in discharge downstream
Fluvial Transportation - large amounts of rock and
sand moved short distances
Fluvial Deposition – where water slows on flat
playas material is deposited and sorted by size
• alluvial fans
• rock debris in piedmont region
Arroyo (dry creek)
Slot Canyon
A narrow canyon,
formed by the wear of
water / wind rushing
through rock
AEOLIAN (WIND) PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
AEOLIAN (WIND) PROCESSES/LANDFORMS
 Sand Dunes
Sand dune: hill or ridge of loose, well-sorted
sand shaped by wind and usually capable of
downwind motion
• Active dunes constantly change form and move

• Dunes may be stabilized by vegetation

• Sand grains may bounce and move by saltation

• Asymmetrical; downwind slip face maintains angle

of repose of about 35°
Types of Dunes

BARCHAN

TRANSVERSE DUNES

SEIFS /
LONGITUDINAL
Barchans - migrating crescent dune with
horns pointing downwind; form where
strong winds blow in a consistent
direction. Move fast. Common in central
Asia and Sahara. Can reach hundreds of
feet in height.
Barchan dune: crescent shaped
dune with "horns" pointing Barchan dune that has some
downwind small transverse dunes nearby.
 TRANSVERSE DUNES

Transverse
dune: linear
dune that
moves almost
perpendicular
to the wind
Transverse Dunes - parallel waves of crescent dunes
perpendicular to wind direction; migrate downwind.
Found in areas with large supply of sand.
Seifs /
Longitudinal
dune: linear dune
that moves
almost parallel to
the wind
Seifs / Longitudinal dunes: long, narrow ridges,
oriented parallel to prevailing wind;
May extend for kilometers
Seifs / Longitudinal - multiple very long narrow, parallel
dunes. May be caused in areas with at least two dominant wind
directions. Can be tens of miles long. Common outside of U.S.
Star dunes

Star dunes: large

sand hills with dune
crests radiating away
from center
Star dune: dune that forms when there are a number of
dominant wind directions
 Coastal Foredunes
Ridge of irregular sand dunes typically found adjacent
to beaches on low-lying coasts and bearing a partial
cover of plants
• Form a
protective
barrier to
storm waves
• If plant cover
is removed,
dune erodes
or blowout
forms;
protection is
lost
Piedmont - gently sloping land that extends out from base
of mountains.
Pediment - sloping bedrock at base that develops.
Playas
 Loess
Loess: surface deposit of wind-
transported silt
• Forms vertical cliffs
• Is easily eroded
• Is used for cave dwellings
• Thickest deposits in China (source:
central Asia)
• U.S. has thick loess deposits
• Forms important agricultural soil
 Hamada - bedrock predominates

An extensive flat desert surface composed of pebbles on

bedrock is called a hamada (Arabic word)
Mesa and Scarp
Topography
Differential Erosion
Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), Australia
Inselberg - “island mountains” rise
abruptly out of desert landscapes

Bornhardt - highly resistant rock

landform; a type of inselberg.

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), Australia

Bornhardt, Arches National Park, Utah
Delicate Arch,
Arches National
Park, Utah
 Terms for desert surfaces
Hamada: bare rock or rock with a thin veneer of
pebble (Arabic?)
Gobi: rock floored desert plain (Mongol)
Gibber plain: stony (often ventifacts) desert
(Australian)
Reg: desert pavement of loose stones (N. Africa)
Serir: desert pavement of loose stones, coarser and
older than reg (N. Africa)
Debba: extensive sandy plain (N. Africa)
Dune field: extensive group of dunes
Erg: vast region deeply covered with sand
and topped by sand dunes (N. Africa)
Playa, pan: extremely flat, vegetation free
area of silt or clay in the lowest part of a
closed basin (N. America, SW. Africa)
Salina: playa with saline water or kept
moist by rising groundwater (N. & S.
America, Spain)
Chott: closed basin containing a dry lake
or playa (N. African)
Sabkha, sebka: temporary lake or
playa; marsh, salt flat or salt lake (N.
African)
Salar, salina: desert floor basin with
salt deposit (Chile & Peru)
Balat: desert marsh, depression or
mudflat (N. African)
Mbuga: temporary swamp or black clay
pan (SW. Africa)
THANKS