barchan
9.9
A crescent sand dune moved across deserts by wind
- noun
- /ˈbɑːrkən/
- Specialized
:
barchán
- In the desert, a barchan dune formed by wind can be seen gracefully curving across the landscape.
- barchan dune
Examples
-
As we hiked through the vast desert, we marveled at the stunning barchan dunes created by the relentless wind.
-
A star-shaped dune is relatively stable, but the barchan may shift location as much as five and a half feet a month.
Fiction book (2002) -
At the edges of the desert where there is little sand, the barchan crescent-shaped dune is formed, little wonder.
Fiction book (2002) -
A barchan resembles a crescent moon, shifting shape as the wind blows through the arid region.
Synonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Etymology
Barchan comes from a Turkic word for a curved 'dune' that entered Russian as barkhan. So a barchan is a crescent-shaped sand dune made and moved by the wind.