Physical Processes
Aeolian Processes
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Also Known As Wind Erosion and Deposition
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Aeolian processes are the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment carried out by wind. Deflation strips loose fine grains from a surface, abrasion and attrition wear and round the grains wind carries, and the same wind builds the sand back up as dunes, sand sheets and windblown loess. Water erodes more material worldwide, but wind dominates where vegetation is sparse and sand is exposed, chiefly deserts and their margins.
Facts
Process Type TimescaleDays, in a single dust storm, to tens of thousands of years, in the buildup of a loess plateau. 1 First Proposed Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Shaped
The Gobi is a classic cold desert whose dune fields, gravel pavement and loess plumes are aeolian landforms.
Sources
1. Aeolian Processes (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, definition and settingQuote, Introduction, definition and setting
Although water is a much more powerful eroding force than wind, aeolian processes are important in arid environments such as deserts.
1. Aeolian Processes (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDeposition section, process-typeQuote, Deposition section, process-type
Wind is very effective at separating sand from silt and clay. As a result, there are distinct sandy (erg) and silty (loess) aeolian deposits.
1. Aeolian Processes (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, aliasQuote, Introduction, alias
Aeolian processes are those processes of erosion, transport, and deposition of sediments that are caused by wind.
2. Ralph Bagnold (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationPublication listQuote, Publication list
Bagnold, R.A. 1941. The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes. London: Methuen, 265 pp.
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