Aeolian Landform

Aeolian, or eolian, landforms are shaped by the erosive or depositional action of wind acting on sand, dust, snow, ice or other loose material, and occur in sandy deserts, on frozen lakes and sea ice, and on other bodies such as Mars and Pluto as well as on Earth. Wind moves sediment by creep, where particles roll along the surface, by saltation, where they hop from point to point, and by suspension, where fine particles remain airborne, while deflation strips away fine material and abrasion wears rock surfaces through the scraping action of moving grains. Where deposition outpaces removal, depositional landforms such as dunes, barchan dunes, ripple marks and loess accumulate; where removal outpaces deposition, erosional landforms such as deflation basins, ventifacts, mushroom rocks, desert pavement and yardangs are carved instead, and these are best preserved in arid regions where water erosion does not erase them. Large aeolian landforms can themselves alter the surface wind field in ways that reinforce their own growth.