Eolian Processes and Landscapes  

Arid Regions

Figure 12.15

• Eolian Erosion– Deflation– Abrasion

• Eolian Transportation  • Eolian Depositional Landforms 

– Dune movement and form • Loess Deposits  

The Work of Wind

Sand Transport

Figure 12.5

Dune Cross Section

Figure 12.9

Major Dune Forms

Figure 12.10

Among the classifications of soil types, loess (pronounced lös, from the German Löß, and ultimately from Swiss German lösch, loose; often pronounced in U.S. English common usage as luss or lurse) is a fine, silty, windblown (eolian) type of unconsolidated deposit; sometimes the term refers to the soil derived from it. It is derived from glacial deposits, where glacial activity has ground rocks very fine (rock flour). After drying, these deposits are highly susceptible to wind erosion, and downwind deposits may become very deep, even a hundred metres or more, as in areas of China and the midwestern United States.

Loess Regions of the World

Figure 12.14

Loess DepositsIn Illinois

Desertification

Figure 12.24