Editing Loess (section)

{{short description|Sediment of accumulated wind-blown dust}}
{{about|the geologic material|the statistical technique|local regression}}
[[File:LoessVicksburg.jpg|thumb|Loess in [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]], United States]]

A '''loess''' ({{IPAc-en|US|'|l|ɛ|s|,_|'|l|ʌ|s|,_|ˈ|l|oʊ|.|ə|s}}, {{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|l|oʊ|.|ə|s|,_|'|l|ɜ|s}}; from {{langx|de|Löss}} {{IPA|de|lœs|}}) is a [[clastic rock|clastic]], predominantly [[silt]]-sized [[sediment]] that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown [[dust]].<ref name="Frechen 2011"/> Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loesses or similar [[deposition (geology)|deposits]].<ref name=" VasiljevicEtAl2011">{{cite journal |url=https://ojs.zrc-sazu.si/ags/article/viewFile/1328/1091 |title=Loess Towards (Geo) Tourism – Proposed Application on Loess in Vojvodina Region (North Serbia) |first1=D. A.|last1=Vasiljevic |first2=S. B.|last2=Markovic |first3=T. A.|last3=Hose |first4=I.|last4=Smalley |first5=K.|last5=O'Hara-Dhand |first6=B.|last6=Basarin |first7=T.|last7=Lukic |first8=M. D.|last8=Vujicic |journal=Acta Geographica Slovenica |year=2011 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=390–406 |doi=10.3986/AGS51305 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2011AcGSG..51..391A |language=sl}}</ref>

A loess is a [[periglacial]] or [[aeolian processes|aeolian]] (windborne) sediment, defined as an accumulation of 20% or less of [[clay]] with a balance of roughly equal parts [[sand]] and silt (with a typical [[grain size]] from 20 to 50 micrometers),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smalley|first1=I. J. |last2=Derbyshire|first2=E. |year=1990 |chapter=The definition of 'ice-sheet' and 'mountain' loess |title=Area 22 |pages=300–01}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |vauthors=Donahue, Miller, Shickluna |year=1977 |title=Soils: An Introduction to Soils and Plant Growth |edition=4th |publisher=[[Prentice Hall]]}}</ref> often loosely cemented by [[calcium carbonate]]. Usually, they are [[homogeneity and heterogeneity|homogeneous]] and highly [[Porosity#Porosity in earth sciences and construction|porous]] and have vertical capillaries that permit the sediment to fracture and form vertical [[cliff|bluffs]].