Yardang

The word itself is of Turkic origin,[3][4] meaning ‘steep bank’, as this type of spectacular landscapes rising 25–50 feet (8–15 m) are best developed in the interior deserts of this region.

[7] Other names for them are "mud-lions",[8][9] "mushroom rocks", "sphinx-like hills", "koukour" in Tunisia, and "kalut" (Persian for "ridge") in Iran.

[12] Hedin first[citation needed] found the wind-sculptured "clay terraces" or yardangs in the dried up riverbed of the Kurruk-daria in Central Asia.

[13] Depending upon the winds and the composition of the weakly indurated deposits of silt and sand from which they are carved, yardangs may form very unusual shapes — some resemble various objects, people or even lying lions.

[14] Yardangs are formed in environments where water is scarce and the prevailing winds are strong, uni-directional, and carry an abrasive sediment load.

The wind cuts down low-lying areas into parallel ridges which gradually erode into separate hills that take on the unique shape of a yardang.

This process yields a field of yardangs of roughly the same size, commonly referred to as a fleet due to their resemblance to the bottoms of ships.