Background,aim,and scope Yardang is a kind of typical wind-eroded landform in arid zones both on Earth and other planets.Their geomorphic process records the surface changes and climate,which may play a vital role in ...Background,aim,and scope Yardang is a kind of typical wind-eroded landform in arid zones both on Earth and other planets.Their geomorphic process records the surface changes and climate,which may play a vital role in exploring the coupled landform-atmosphere system in arid zones.Recently,significant progresses have been made in this research field,and a review is still absent,which is the aim of the paper.Materials and methods Previous studies on the distribution,composition,morphology,and climatic driving force of yardang landform were reviewed.Results Earth yardang’s three evolutionary models were generalized:morphology evolution model,altitude evolution model and climate driven evolution model.Extraterrestrial yardang and its evolution are also summarized:the morphology is dominated by long ridges on Venus and Titan,and three yardang evolution hypotheses and an indirect dating method based on stratigraphic contact have been studied on Mars.Discussion In this study,firstly,the definition and morphology of yardang were described to define its characteristics.Secondly,we argue that yardang evolution has two dimensions:short-term variation and longterm variation.In the short-term variation,the morphological evolution of yardang on earth can be divided into four stages:embryonic stage,juvenile stage,mature stage,and demise stage.In the long-term variation,the evolution of yardang on earth is climate-driven,i.e.,it is controlled by atmospheric circulation changes during glacial-interglacial periods.Thirdly,yardang research on extraterrestrial bodies was also summarized:yardang has been found on Mars,Venus,and Titan,and the research focus by far are on geomorphology only.Conclusions(1)Yardang landform is an erosion landform with alternating ridges and troughs,with main form of whale back shape and fluctuations in the range of aspect ratios;(2)the short-term variation of yardang is manifested in its morphological evolution and height change,while the long-term variation is climate-driven;(3)based on Earth yardang,ex展开更多
文摘Background,aim,and scope Yardang is a kind of typical wind-eroded landform in arid zones both on Earth and other planets.Their geomorphic process records the surface changes and climate,which may play a vital role in exploring the coupled landform-atmosphere system in arid zones.Recently,significant progresses have been made in this research field,and a review is still absent,which is the aim of the paper.Materials and methods Previous studies on the distribution,composition,morphology,and climatic driving force of yardang landform were reviewed.Results Earth yardang’s three evolutionary models were generalized:morphology evolution model,altitude evolution model and climate driven evolution model.Extraterrestrial yardang and its evolution are also summarized:the morphology is dominated by long ridges on Venus and Titan,and three yardang evolution hypotheses and an indirect dating method based on stratigraphic contact have been studied on Mars.Discussion In this study,firstly,the definition and morphology of yardang were described to define its characteristics.Secondly,we argue that yardang evolution has two dimensions:short-term variation and longterm variation.In the short-term variation,the morphological evolution of yardang on earth can be divided into four stages:embryonic stage,juvenile stage,mature stage,and demise stage.In the long-term variation,the evolution of yardang on earth is climate-driven,i.e.,it is controlled by atmospheric circulation changes during glacial-interglacial periods.Thirdly,yardang research on extraterrestrial bodies was also summarized:yardang has been found on Mars,Venus,and Titan,and the research focus by far are on geomorphology only.Conclusions(1)Yardang landform is an erosion landform with alternating ridges and troughs,with main form of whale back shape and fluctuations in the range of aspect ratios;(2)the short-term variation of yardang is manifested in its morphological evolution and height change,while the long-term variation is climate-driven;(3)based on Earth yardang,ex
