Definition
Longitudinal sharp-crested sinuous linear sand dune.
Category
A type of logitudinal or linear dune
Synonyms
Linear seif dune; Nonvegetated linear dune; Silk; Sinuous Longitudinal Dune (or Linear Dune)/meandering longitudinal dune
Description
Large, sharp-crested, elongated, longitudinal (linear) dune or chain of sand dunes, oriented parallel to the prevailing wind direction. It consists of a succession of curved slip faces produced by strong, but infrequent crosswinds. They have sharp but sinuous/tortuous crest lines with narrow, reversing slip faces (Bagnold 1941). This sinuous ridge rises and falls at regular intervals to form a series of peaks and saddles that gives the appearance of a chain of “teardrops” when viewed from the side, especially for highly sinuous seifs (Pye and Tsoar 1990).
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References
Bagnold RA (1941) The physics of brown sand and desert dunes. Methuen, London
Edgett KS, Blumberg DG (1994) Star and linear dunes on Mars. Icarus 112(2):448–464. doi:10.1006/icar.1994.1197
Edgett KS, Malin MC (2000) MGS MOC images of seif dunes in the north polar region of Mars. Lunar Planet Sci XXXI, abstract #1070, Houston
Lee P, Thomas PC (1995) Longitudinal dunes on Mars: relation to current wind regimes. J Geophys Res 100(E3):5381–5395. doi:10.1029/95JE00225
Madigan CT (1946) The Simpson desert expedition, 1939 scientific reports: no. 6, geology–the sand formations. Trans R Soc S Aust 70:45–63
Parteli EJR, Durán O, Tsoar H, Schwämmle V, Herrmann HJ (2009) Dune formation under bimodal winds. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:22085–22089
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Tsoar H (1982) Internal structure and surface geometry of longitudinal (seif) dunes. J Sediment Res 52(3):823–831
Tsoar H (1983) Dynamic processes acting on a longitudinal (seif) sand dune. Sedimentology 30:567–578
Tsoar H (2001) Types of aeolian sand dunes and their formation. In: Balmforth NJ, Provenzale A (eds) Geomorphological fluid mechanics, vol 582, Lecture notes in physics. Springer, New York, p 403. http://books.google.hu/books?id=xZdPT1SAftIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Tsoar H (2008) Linear dunes on earth and Mars – similarity and dissimilarity. Planetary dunes workshop: a record of climate change. LPI contribution no 1403, Alamogordo, 29 Apr–2 May 2008, pp 75–76
Tsoar H, Yaalon DH (1983) Deflection of sand movement on a sinuous longitudinal (seif) dune: use of fluorescent dye as tracer. Sed Geol 36(1):25–39
Tsoar H, Blumberg DG, Stoler Y (2004) Elongation and migration of sand dunes. Geomorphology 57:293–302
Tsoar H, Edgett KS, Schatz V, Parteli EJ, Herrmann HJ (2007) Barchan and linear dunes on earth and Mars – comparative research. American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2007, abstract #P34A-06
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Hargitai, H. (2015). Seif. In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_347
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_347
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