yardangs

Yardangs are elongated, wind-sculpted ridges that occur on deserts and other arid terrains. They form when persistent wind abrades exposed rock and sediments, removing softer material between more resistant units. The result is a row of parallel ridges that run in the direction of the prevailing winds.

Yardangs can be composed of consolidated rock such as sandstone, siltstone, or limestone, or of volcanic and other cemented materials. They are typically tens to hundreds of meters in length, and their heights range from a few meters to several tens of meters, though some field-scale examples extend for kilometers. The ridges are created by differential erosion: wind erodes softer layers more quickly between harder units, producing a sequence of elongated ridges and intervening troughs aligned with the wind.

Yardang fields are found in deserts on multiple continents, including regions of Asia, Africa, and North America. Notable examples include wind-sculpted ridges in the Lut Desert of Iran and in Central Asian deserts such as the Gobi and Taklimakan. Local rock type and wind regime strongly influence the exact forms of individual yardangs.

Geologically, yardangs provide insights into past wind climates and aeolian processes. Their orientations record prevailing wind directions during their formation and subsequent erosion. They are of interest in remote sensing and planetary geology as analogs for wind-eroded surfaces on other planets.