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Loess identification and geology

Wind-deposited eolian silt, typically buff to yellow-brown in color, consisting predominantly of angular quartz grains 20–50 micrometers in diameter. Loess forms blanket deposits that drape the underlying topography and can reach thicknesses of over 100 meters. It is highly fertile when converted to soil and supports intensive agriculture in regions such as the Chinese Loess Plateau, the Great Plains of North America, and Central Europe. Field: sedimentology. Example: The Chinese Loess Plateau contains over 300 m of loess deposited over the past 2.5 million years, with interbedded paleosols that provide one of the most detailed terrestrial records of Pleistocene climate change.. Related terms: Eolian, Silt, Paleosol, Glacial outwash.

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Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.027557+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Loess mean in geology?
Wind-deposited eolian silt, typically buff to yellow-brown in color, consisting predominantly of angular quartz grains 20–50 micrometers in diameter. Loess forms blanket deposits that drape the underlying topography and can reach thicknesses of over 100 meters. It is highly fertile when converted to soil and supports intensive agriculture in regions such as the Chinese Loess Plateau, the Great Plains of North America, and Central Europe.
What is an example of Loess?
The Chinese Loess Plateau contains over 300 m of loess deposited over the past 2.5 million years, with interbedded paleosols that provide one of the most detailed terrestrial records of Pleistocene climate change.
Which earth-science field uses the term Loess?
Loess is used in sedimentology.
Which terms are related to Loess?
Related terms in this reference are Eolian, Silt, Paleosol, Glacial outwash.

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