Aeolian Processes

Aeolian processes, also spelled eolian, are the processes of erosion, transport and deposition of sediments caused by wind at or near the surface of the Earth, and by extension of other planets. Although water is a much more powerful eroding force than wind, aeolian processes matter most where vegetation is sparse, soil moisture is low and a large supply of loose sediment exists, as in deserts, along shorelines and in areas of glacial outwash. Wind erodes by deflation, the lifting and removal of loose particles, and by abrasion, the sandblasting of exposed surfaces. It moves grains by creep, saltation and suspension, and it deposits sand as ripples, sand sheets and dunes and silt as loess. The term comes from Aeolus, the Greek keeper of the winds.