Deposition of fine grained sand carried over long distance by wind is known as

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the name given to fine-grained material (silt and sand) that wind has carried over a long distance and then deposited.

Step 2: Explain the concept Wind is a major agent of erosion, transportation and deposition, especially in dry regions. When wind carries fine particles over long distances and drops them, the deposit is called loess. Loess is a yellowish, fine, fertile, wind-blown deposit. Examples include the loess plateau of northern China and parts of the Mississippi valley in the USA. In Nigeria and West Africa, the Harmattan dust from the Sahara is a similar example of wind-borne material.

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Chernozem: a dark, humus-rich soil of temperate grasslands (the Russian steppes). It is a soil type, not a wind deposit.
• B. Laterite: a reddish soil rich in iron and aluminium oxides, formed by intense weathering and leaching in tropical areas. It is not wind-deposited.
• C. Loess: a fine, wind-blown deposit carried over long distances. This matches the question.
• D. Podzols: leached, acidic, ash-grey soils of cool, humid coniferous forest regions. They are not wind deposits.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is **C.

Tip: Link Loess with Lifted by wind. The other three options (Chernozem, Laterite, Podzol) are all soil types, while loess is the only wind deposit. In an exam, ask yourself, "Is this a soil or a landform/deposit?" That often removes the wrong options quickly.