Question map
Which one of the following is not related to wind erosion?
Explanation
Wind erosion, or aeolian erosion, occurs through deflation and abrasion [1]. Zeugen are tabular blocks of hard rock standing above furrows, formed by wind abrasion eating into softer underlying layers [3]. Dreikanter are specific types of ventifacts—pebbles shaped and polished by sand-blasting (abrasion) to have three distinct wind-faceted surfaces [4]. Demoiselles are rock pedestals or earth pillars where a resistant cap rock protects a softer column of material below from erosion; while often associated with water erosion, they are frequently listed as features resulting from differential wind abrasion in arid regions [2]. In contrast, a wind gap is a geomorphological feature related to fluvial processes. It is a valley through which a waterway once flowed but is now dry due to stream capture or tectonic activity, making it unrelated to aeolian or wind erosion processes.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 17: Major Landforms and Cycle of Erosion > Wind Eroded Arid Landforms > p. 235
- [3] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 7: Arid or Desert Landforms > Landforms of Wind Erosion in Deserts > p. 70
- [4] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 7: Arid or Desert Landforms > Fig.7.4 Mesa and butte > p. 71
- [2] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > Mushroom, Table and Pedestal Rocks > p. 60