The Loess Problem of China

Abstract

Summary—An analysis of the Loess problem is made on the basis of recent studies co-ordinating results of research along a variety of lines. Sources of confusion in the past are indicated, and the question of the delimitation of the term “loess” is discussed.In China the Loess is essentially an aeolian deposit formed under special climatic conditions which ruled, though in different degrees, at two distinct epochs in the Pleistocene period that seem to correspond to the Günz-Mindel and Riss-Würm twin-glaciations respectively. The variations in the deposits and the relation between them, the associated fresh-water sediments, and recognizable stages in the physiographic evolution of the landscape are described. The character and implications of the fossil content are discussed, especially in their bearing on the problems of former climates and of exact correlation of geological events.