Yardangs in the Gobi desert
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Yardangs in the Gobi desert

by Jonathan D. Müller

Seeing the Yardang rock formations during sunset was a surreal experience. While they seem to have be standing in a sea of water that formed them, the fluid dynamics that actually lead to their existence is the result of wind abrasion by dust and sand and the removal of loose material by wind turbulence. The air flow and resulting pattern of erosion and the distribution of rocks determines their shapes.