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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 1–5Cite as

Obstacle Dunes and Obstacle Marks

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Definition

Structures formed by secondary currents which originate when the main flow is deformed by obstacles within the path of the current (either wind, streamflow, or ice). The term obstacle dune is used for aeolian sand accumulations whereas the term “obstacle mark” usually describes fluvial landforms, although it is also used for erosional aeolian features.

Description

Depositional or erosional forms related to topographic obstacles (e.g., mountains, cliffs, mesas, buttes, boulders, or shrubs on Earth) (flow obstruction/sand shadow/current shadow). Obstacle dunes are accumulations of aeolian sand (see also “Ridge in Current Shadow”); obstacle marks form where a current excavates sediment from the front and sides of an obstacle (Allen 1982) (see also “Current Crescent”).

Subtypes

Obstacle dunes (Pye and Tsoar 1990) (Figs. 1, 2 and 3)

Fig. 1
figure 1

Climbing and falling dunes on a gently sloping symmetrical hill. Falling dunes migrate across inactive sand accumulated in obstacle shadow...

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary Science Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Henrik Hargitai

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  1. Henrik Hargitai
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Correspondence to Henrik Hargitai .

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Hargitai, H. (2014). Obstacle Dunes and Obstacle Marks. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_246-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_246-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

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