1. These are crescent-shaped dunes.
2. They form where supply of sand is minimum.
3. Due to an obstacle in the path of the wind or due to the lowering of its velocity, the sand moving with it gets dropped at some places.
4. The barchan slope that faces the wind is gentle whereas, the opposite slope is steep.
5. Such barchans are seen in large numbers in the Sahara Desert of Africa or in the Great Indian Desert in Rajasthan.
Longitudinal Dunes:
1. These are long dunes deposited is the direction of the wind.
2. They appear parallel to the wind direction.
3. They do not migrate like the barchans.
4. They are also called seif dunes.
5. They are sometimes hundreds of kilometres long. Such dunes can be seen in Rub-al- Khali desert in Saudi Arabia.