Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Journal of Young Scientist", Vol. 2
Written by Mihai FRÎNCU, Corina DUMITRACHE
Loess is a deposit of wind-blown silt that blankets large areas of the continents. It is often light brown in color, consisting predominantly of quartz, feldspars, micas, and calcium carbonate. Geographically, loess is extensive in the North American Great Plains, south-central Europe, central Asia, and central East of South America. In Europe, loess deposits are common in areas that lie between the former Alpine and the Scandinavian ice sheets and in regions to the east associated with major river systems. In Romania, loess was described by Gr Stefanescu in 1895 and the aeolian origin of the loess was stated for the first time by L. Mrazec, in 1899. Loessoid soils are very common in Romania, mainly in Dobrogea, Galati, Braila; they are found over some 19% of the area (Popescu, 1965). The aim of this paper considers the main topics of loess distribution, different hypotheses of its origin and geological characterization of these problematic soils.
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