Aeolian Landscapes

• What are Aeolian Landscapes and it's sources

  • Aeolian landscapes are landforms and features that are shaped by wind erosion and deposition
  • Common aeolian forms are composed of dust and sand, the resulting forms result on the source of sediment, vegetation cover and strength of wind
  • A sand source of aeolian features are yardangs, the elongated ridges which experiencing abrasion erosion through saltating grains
  • Other sand source include: sandy coastlines, sandy regolith or other particles removed by wind
• Aeolian Forms

  • Aeolian forms are common in regions that experience a humid to arid climatic change
  • Dunes are a major form
  • Types of dunes:

  o   Linear dunes – which are aligned with dominate wind directions

  o   Coastal dunes – dunes formed from the deposition of sand via wind just off shore

  o   Source bordering dunes – dunes that are closely bordering the leeside of its sediment source

  • Coastal foredunes
  • Lunettes
  • Riverine
• Lunettes


  • A prevailing wind pushes sediments across the landscape, it is deposited on the far side of the lake, usually formed in a crescent shape with a steep incline. Overtime as wind patterns or sources change, lunettes may migrate or erode. This provides evidence of past environmental conditions such as wind direction or where sources may have originated from.
• Riverine SBD

  • Persist seasonally, with new sediment supply during flood events or the drying of the river bed for deflation. Strong deflation events transport dust and sand to the deposit site when winds are above the energy threshold
  • Migration rates are initially high, but decline overtime as the dune stabilises
• Wind vs Vegetation - Aeolian Landscapes

  • Sandy ecosystems are controlled by wind
  • Dune activity is dependent on vegetation, and wind
  • If an area is vegetated, wind stress must be higher to destroy vegetation and reactivate the dune
  • In arid environments, as dunes build up, they create a field, with an increased deposit of sand they become climbing dunes. Before falling and becoming ramps