Wind erosion and transport 

Aeolian processes are similar to water processes, but, because the density of air is so much less than that of water, wind cannot readily erode and carry the larger particles, and erosion and transport is generally limited to sand, silts, and clays. Sand is moved by saltation (bouncing) and surface creep whereas the finer sediments are removed in suspension during dust storms. 

Locally, where wind erosion has been active, holes called blowouts are formed by deflation (blowing away). Long-term removal of fine sediments by deflation will leave behind pebbles and larger rocks to create desert pavements that blanket the soil and prevent further erosion. Sand blasting will facet rocks and pebbles creating ventifacts. 

Aeolian Depositional Features 

Because sand is heavier than silts and clays, it travels more slowly and accumulates closer to the source than finer particles. This sorting process creates two distinct sets of aeolian depositional features: 1) sand dunes and sand sheets, and 2) loess deposits of silts and clays which generally thin downwind from source areas. Many such deposits can be found peripheral to the deserts of the world. TheYellow Hills of China are made up of loess deposits from the Gobi. Not all deposits were formed during historical times. For example, the Ocala National Forest in Florida is an area of ancient dune fields now stabilized by vegetation. In Europe and the United States, thick loess deposits such as those which make up the bluffs at Vicksburg, Mississippi, had their source in the big (then unvegetated) outwash areas of the continental glaciers which covered large areas during the ice ages of the Pleistocene.