Aeolian landform

Aeolian landforms, also spelled eolian, are features produced by the erosive or depositive action of wind. They may be built up from sand or snow, or eroded into rock, snow or ice, and they are commonly seen in sandy deserts and on frozen lakes or sea ice. They have also been observed and studied on other planets, including Mars and Pluto. The word aeolian comes from Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds. They form when wind moves sediment by creep, saltation or suspension, and falling particles knock loose more grains. Where net deposition occurs the surface rises and where net erosion occurs it lowers, creating initial landforms that then alter the wind field in ways that promote their growth, which makes them very stable once formed. Deflation and abrasion are specific wind processes that shape them. Depositional types, such as dunes, barchan dunes, ripple marks and loess, grow where sediment arrives faster than it leaves, while erosional types, such as sastrugi on the Antarctic Plateau, grow where it is removed faster.