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Niveo-Aeolian Deposits

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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms

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Definition

Mixed deposits of aeolian (windblown) sediment and snow that form in cold-climate settings.

Synonym

Cryo-aeolian deposits

Description

Niveo-aeolian deposits are mixed, often interbedded accumulations of aeolian (windblown) sediment and snow that form, at least seasonally, in cold-climate settings (Figs. 1 and 2). The aeolian sediment may consist of silt and/or sand, but in some environments, niveo-aeolian deposits may include gravel (e.g., Hétu 1995; Lewkowicz 1998). On Earth, intact niveo-aeolian deposits can persist well into the thaw period (Steidtmann 1973), and in periglacial regions, snow covered by aeolian sediment can be preserved, leading to ground ice formation (Lacelle et al. 2009). Refreezing of meltwater within niveo-aeolian deposits can create ice layers, which enables surface runoff (Hugenholtz et al. 2007). When the buried snow or ice thaws or sublimates, a range of surface features are created, collectively referred to as denivation features(Koster and...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N1N4, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Chris H. Hugenholtz

  2. Geosciences and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Donald M. Hooper

Authors
  1. Chris H. Hugenholtz
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  2. Donald M. Hooper
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Correspondence to Chris H. Hugenholtz .

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Hugenholtz, C.H., Hooper, D.M. (2014). Niveo-Aeolian Deposits. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_516-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_516-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

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