Loess, transported and deposited by wind, is the soil
material finer than sands and covering land areas. A loess
can cover land surface from a few meters to several
hundred meters. Loess is characterized by a neutral pH,
and well-balanced clay and organic matter.
Loess soils are a type of aeolian soils. Loess soils are
unconsolidated, unstratified, calcareous and rich in plant
nutrients. They are productive and have unusual
properties, in that they (a) are open and porous, (b) have
vertical cuts making them fairly stable, and (c) can
prevent problems like the formation of sinkholes, cavities
and subsurface channel cutting, when used for earthen
dams.
Its main components are quartz, feldspar, calcite and
clay mineral.
There are large areas covered by loess soils in the
USA, China, Germany and Argentina.
