Editing Loess (section)

===Periglacial loess===
[[Periglacial]] (glacial) loess is derived from the floodplains of [[glacier|glacial]] [[braided river]]s that carried large volumes of glacial meltwater and sediments from the annual melting of continental ice sheets and mountain ice caps during the spring and summer. During the autumn and winter, when the melting of the ice sheets and ice caps ceased, the flow of meltwater down these rivers either ceased or was greatly reduced. As a consequence, large parts of the formerly submerged and unvegetated floodplains of these braided rivers dried out and were exposed to the wind. Because the floodplains consist of sediment containing a high content of glacially ground flour-like [[silt]] and [[clay]], they were highly susceptible to winnowing of their silts and [[clay]]s by the wind. Once entrained by the wind, particles were then deposited downwind. The loess deposits found along both sides of the [[Mississippi embayment|Mississippi River alluvial valley]] are a classic example of periglacial loess.<ref name="MuhsOthers2003a">{{cite journal|last1=Bettis|first1=E.A.|last2=Muhs|first2=D.R.|last3=Roberts|first3=H.M.|last4=Wintle|first4=A.G.|title=Last Glacial loess in the conterminous USA|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|date=2003|volume=22|issue=18–19|pages=1907–1946|doi=10.1016/S0277-3791(03)00169-0|bibcode=2003QSRv...22.1907A|s2cid=130982847 }}</ref><ref name="esp.cr.usgs.gov">{{cite journal|last1=Muhs|first1=D.R.|first2=E.A.|last2=Bettis, III|date=2003|url=http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/info/eolian/MuhsBettis2003GSAsp370.pdf|title=Quaternary loess-paleosol sequences as examples of climate-driven sedimentary extremes|journal=GSA Special Papers|volume=370|pages=53–74|doi=10.1130/0-8137-2370-1.53|isbn=9780813723709|archive-date=2012-02-10|access-date=2008-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210081127/http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/info/eolian/MuhsBettis2003GSAsp370.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the [[Quaternary]], loess and loess-like sediments were formed in periglacial environments on mid-continental [[Shield (geology)|shield]] areas in Europe and Siberia as well as on the margins of high mountain ranges like in [[Tajikistan]] and on semi-arid margins of some lowland deserts as in China.<ref name="Frechen 2011"/>

In England, periglacial loess is also known as [[brickearth]].