Wind or desert modeling
The erosive action of the wind is greater in arid climates, where the absence of vegetation allows it to drag the finest particles even up to thousands of kilometers.
The desert is the most characteristic landscape of aeolian or desert modeling. The main parts of a desert are:
- Hamada. Mountainous area in which the original rock outcrops
. - Reg or desert of stones. Desert surface covered with ridges and rock fragments that form a cobbled pavement. The deflation starts this area the finest materials.
By Michael C. Rygel (Own work) [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons
- Erg or sand desert. When the wind that carries the sand loses energy, accumulations of sand of different types called dunes form. There are also mushroom rocks, which are formed when the sand carried by the wind hits the rock walls (abrasion), eroding the lower parts and leaving the higher ones, as they are more resistant.
Dunes in the Corralejo Natural Park (Fuerteventura)
By El Guanche (originally posted to Flickr as Arbol de Piedra) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
- Loess: Desert dust that can be transported thousands of km away.