Piaskowowirowe

Piaskowowirowe is a term in Polish geomorphology designating features formed by swirling flows in sandy sediments, producing circular or spiral patterns such as sand vortices or spiral dune cross-strata. The name derives from piaskowy (sandy) and wirowy (vortex, swirl).

These structures arise when a flow—air or water—moves around obstacles or through constrained spaces, generating eddies that mobilize grains and deposit them along curved trajectories. Reworked sediment can show concentric laminations, cross-bedded sets following spiral paths, and variations in grain size indicating changing transport energy. They may develop during storm events on beaches, in braided river channels, or in desert dunes where wind gusts create alternating vortices.

Sizes range from a few centimeters to meters. Morphology includes near-circular rings, curved ridges, and spiral-like lamination; often associated with ripple and dune forms. The internal structure records episodic flows with alternating direction.

Piaskowowirowe are reported in various sedimentary environments worldwide, including aeolian dunes, riverbanks, and coastal shelves. They aid interpretation of past flow regimes and sediment-transport processes and can be used to infer paleometeorology and hydrodynamics in ancient deposits.

Related concepts include ripple dynamics, cross-bedding, and vortex-induced sedimentation.