Final answer:
Sediment must be loose for deflation to occur because only unconsolidated, finer particles can be easily lifted and transported by the wind, shaping desert landscapes and affecting erosion processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sediment needs to be loose for deflation because deflation refers to the process by which wind removes finer particles from the ground's surface, leaving behind larger particles or rocks. This can only occur effectively when the surface material is not tightly compacted or cemented. Loose sediment, unlike coarser and more consolidated material, can be lifted and transported by the wind with relative ease.
This is observed in various desert landscapes where wind erosion greatly shapes the environment. In other contexts, sediment properties like terminal velocity in water, floc sedimentation, load casts in geology, the lithification process, and examples from planetary science such as the surface of asteroid Eros, illustrate different aspects of sediment movement and transformation, which can affect erosion and sedimentation processes.
Fine particles that ultimately settle at the bottom of a water supply through sedimentation and eventually become part of the sediment layer require certain conditions to be moved again, in this case by water currents rather than wind. However, the basic principle remains: particles must be loose enough to be displaced.