noun
- crescent-shaped sand dunes formed by wind action, with the horns of the crescent pointing downwind
Usage: geology; plural of barchan
Examples
- The desert landscape was dominated by massive barchans stretching to the horizon.
- Geologists studied how barchans migrate across the sandy terrain.
- The wind carved distinctive barchans in the Sahara Desert.
- Satellite images revealed hundreds of barchans moving slowly eastward.
- The expedition team camped in the shelter of large barchans.
- Scientists measured the rate at which barchans advance each year.