Here's how it works:
* Wind: Wind is the primary force in deflation. Strong winds can pick up loose sand, silt, and dust particles.
* Lifting: The wind lifts the material and carries it away.
* Removal: The lifted material is transported downwind, sometimes for great distances.
Key features of deflation:
* Creates depressions: Deflation can create depressions in the desert landscape, such as blowouts and deflation hollows.
* Exposes bedrock: As loose material is removed, underlying bedrock can become exposed.
* Forms desert pavement: When deflation continues, it can leave behind a layer of larger, heavier pebbles and gravel called desert pavement.
Other types of desert erosion:
* Abrasion: The grinding and wearing down of rock surfaces by wind-blown sand.
* Salt weathering: The breakdown of rocks due to the crystallization of salts in cracks and pores.
* Thermal weathering: The expansion and contraction of rocks due to temperature changes.
