Loess and Environment

There are several recent developments, scientific and practical demands which underline the need for a comprehensive approach to loess research. It should be emphasized that fertile soils formed during the Holocene on loess and other loose materials accumulated under the different Pleistocene environments; 80 per cent of world corn output is harvested from these soils. At the same time, the cultivation of loess regions easily leads to the erosion of the soil and the porous sediment; under technical establishments collapse occasionally occurs along with compaction and landslides. For this latter reason, the design and foundation of constructions necessites special care and involves extra costs. The characteristic properties, structure and material composition, and origin of loess, the overlying soils and the intercalated paleosols between loess horizons, fossil plants, animals and early man remains, their dating, paleoenvironments and, last but not least, the problems of providing the buildings on loess terrain with safe foundations are all important issues studied by a host of experts in various disciplines. A forum to such interdisciplinary topics is provided in this volume where the papers published present some recent methods in loess research for various purposes, the results of instrumented analyses, laboratory and field experiments and the application of the achievements in local studies and also in regional or continental comparison.