yardang
YAR-dang
A streamlined, wind-carved ridge of rock or compacted sediment, aligned parallel to the prevailing wind direction. Yardangs form when wind-driven sand abrades softer material, sculpting it into elongated, aerodynamic shapes — narrow at the windward end, wider at the lee. Fields of yardangs can resemble fleets of stone ships sailing across the desert floor.
Etymology
Turkic, from Uyghur yardang, meaning steep bank or bluff. The word was introduced to Western science by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin during his Central Asian expeditions in the early 1900s.
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