Geography·Physical Geography · NSSCO 1.4
Wind (aeolian) processes & desert landforms
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In a hot desert with little water and few plants, the wind takes over as the great sculptor of the land. In this lesson we'll see the three ways wind wears rock away — abrasion, deflation and attrition — and the landforms they leave behind, from mushroom-shaped rock pedestals to wide deflation hollows and stony desert pavements. Then we'll follow how wind carries sand by suspension, saltation and surface creep, and finish right here at home in the Namib, watching how the wind piles sand into the towering star dunes of Sossusvlei and the long seif dunes near Swakopmund.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Geography 1.4):
- Name and describe the erosional processes of wind action: abrasion, deflation and attrition
- Describe and explain the landforms associated with wind erosion such as rock pedestals, deflation hollows and desert pavements
- Name and describe the wind transport processes: suspension, saltation and surface creep
- Describe and explain the landforms and features associated with wind deposition in Namibia, e.g. star dunes at Sossusvlei and seif dunes near Swakopmund
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