Aeolian processes and bedforms in the Thar Desert

Studies so far indicate that the aeolian processes are very efficient in the western part of the Thar where mobility of dunes is high and formation of new bedforms takes place even without human-induced land degradation. The dune trend correlates well with the present-day south-west monsoon wind direction, suggesting very little change in the sand-shifting wind pattern, at least during the late Quaternary period. The major source of dune sand is local. Although a few major dune types were formerly recognized, recent studies using remote sensing suggest a more complicated arrangement of dunes. New data on grain size and dune movement are presented.