Loess Plateau

Loess Plateau
Landscape near Hunyuan, Shanxi
Traditional Chinese黃土高原
Simplified Chinese黄土高原
Literal meaning"loess plateau" or "yellow-soil high plain"
Location of the Loess Plateau in China
Geomorphology of the Loess Plateau

The Chinese Loess Plateau, or simply the Loess Plateau, is a plateau in north-central China formed of loess, a clastic silt-like sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. It is located southeast of the Gobi Desert and is surrounded by the Yellow River. It includes parts of the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi and Shanxi.[1] The depositional setting of the Chinese Loess Plateau was shaped by the tectonic movement in the Neogene period, after which strong southeast winds caused by the East Asian Monsoon transported sediment to the plateau during the Quaternary period.[2] The three main morphological types in the Loess Plateau are loess platforms, ridges and hills,[1] formed by the deposition and erosion of loess. Most of the loess comes from the Gobi Desert and other nearby deserts.[3] The sediments were transported to the Loess Plateau during interglacial periods by southeasterly prevailing winds and winter monsoon winds. After the deposition of sediments on the plateau, they were gradually compacted to form loess under the arid climate.[1]

The Loess Plateau is one of the largest and thickest loess plateaus in the world.[2] Because of the strong winds, erosion is also powerful across the plateau. Therefore, erosional features, including wind escarpments, loess vertical joints and gullies are present.[2][4][5] In the past few decades, the environment and climate has changed, including the rainfall pattern, vegetation cover, and the natural hazards.[6] These changes may relate to human development in the plateau; Chinese environmental officials are trying to find sustainable ways to manage the region.[6]

  1. ^ a b c Dai, X. R.; Zhang, L. Y. (1992). "On the formation and evolution of the Loess Plateau in China". Journal of Lanzhou University.
  2. ^ a b c Kapp, P.; Pullen, A.; Pelletier, J. D.; Russell, J.; Goodman, P.; Cai, F. L. (2015). "From dust to dust: Quaternary wind erosion of the Mu Us Desert and Loess Plateau, China". Geology. 43 (9): 835–838. Bibcode:2015Geo....43..835K. doi:10.1130/G36724.1. ISSN 0091-7613.
  3. ^ Sun, J (2002). "Provenance of loess material and formation of loess deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 203 (3): 845–859. Bibcode:2002E&PSL.203..845S. doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00921-4. ISSN 0012-821X.
  4. ^ Feng, L.; Lin, H.; Zhang, M. S.; Guo, L.; Jin, Z.; Liu, X. B. (2020). "Development and evolution of Loess vertical joints on the Chinese Loess Plateau at different spatiotemporal scales". Engineering Geology. 265: 105372. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2019.105372. ISSN 0013-7952. S2CID 210617961.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Wang, L.; Shao, M. A.; Wang, Q. J.; Gale, W. J. (2006). "Historical changes in the environment of the Chinese Loess Plateau". Environmental Science & Policy. 9 (7): 675–684. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2006.08.003. ISSN 1462-9011.

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