Wind – Desert/ Arid Landforms.

• Deflation includes lifting and removal of dust and smaller particles from the surface of rocks. (Air Heat → Raise up → Bring turbulence → Removal of Dust).
• Transportation process sand and silt act as effective tools to abrade the land surface.
• Dessert wind – Active climatic Agent.
• Types of Dessert
• Hammada (Rock)
• Reg (Stone)
• Erg (Sandy)
• Badlands

Erosional Landforms

Pediments and Pediplains

• Formation and extension of pediments. Inclined rocky floors close to the mountains at their foot with or without a thin cover of debris, are called pediments.
• High relief in desert areas is reduced to low featureless plains called pediplains.

Playas

• Playas (Shallow waterbody) - Plain is covered up by a shallow water body.
• Water is retained only for short duration due to evaporation and quite often the playas contain good deposition of salts. playa plain covered up by salts is called alkali flats.

Deflation Hollows and Caves

• Mantle from over the rocks or bare soil, gets blown out by persistent movement of wind currents in one direction.
• Create shallow depressions called deflation hollows.
• Rock faces suffer impact and abrasion of wind-borne sand and first shallow depressions called blowouts are created, and some of the blow outs become deeper and wider fit to be called caves

Mushroom, Table and Pedestal Rocks

• Top surface is broad like a table top and quite often, the remnants stand out like pedestals.

Depositional Landforms

Sand Dunes

• Barchans – Point or wings directed away from wind direction.
• Parabolic dunes form when sandy surfaces are partially covered with vegetation.
• Seif is similar to barchans with a small difference. Has only one wing or Point. Shift in wind Conditions. Wind very long and High.
• Longitudinal dunes - length but low in height.
• Transverse dunes are aligned perpendicular to wind direction. very long and low in height.