Loess Records

Authors

Daniel R. Muhs, U.S. Geological SurveyFollow
Stephen R. Cattle, The University of SydneyFollow
Onn Crouvi, Geological Survey of IsraelFollow
Denis-Didier Rousseau, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, ParisFollow
Jimin Sun, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, BeijingFollow
Marcelo A. Zárate, Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de la Pampa (INCITAP)Follow

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

Chapter 16 in: P. Knippertz and J.-B.W. Stuut (eds.), Mineral Dust: A Key Player in the Earth System, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-8978-3__16,

Comments

U.S. government work

Abstract

Loess is aeolian sediment, dominated by silt-sized particles, that is identifiable in the field as a distinct sedimentary body. It covers a significant portion of the land surface of the Earth and as such constitutes one of the most important archives of long-term dust deposition. Large tracts of loess cover Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, and smaller loess bodies are found covering parts of Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand, and Australia. Loess thickness, particle size, and carbonate content decrease downwind from sources, trends that are powerful tools for reconstructing paleowinds. Many loess sections consist of relatively thick deposits of mostly unaltered sediment with intercalated paleosols. Paleosols represent periods of landscape stability when loess deposition ceased or at least slowed significantly. Studies from several continents show that loess in most regions was deposited during glacial periods and paleosols formed during interglacial and interstadial periods.