Loess Plateau

Loess Plateau
黄土高原
Landscape near Hunyuan, Shanxi
Landscape near Hunyuan, Shanxi
Location of Loess Plateau
Area
[1]
 • Total
635,000 km2 (245,000 sq mi)
Elevation
[2]
1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Population
 (2010)[3]
 • Total
108,000,000
Loess Plateau
Traditional Chinese黃土高原
Simplified Chinese黄土高原
Literal meaning"loess plateau" or "yellow-soil high plain"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHuángtǔ Gāoyuán
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingWong4-tou2 Gou1-jyun4
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 Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi and Shanxi.[4] 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.[5] The three main morphological types in the Loess Plateau are loess platforms, ridges and hills,[4] formed by the deposition and erosion of loess. Most of the loess comes from the Gobi Desert and other nearby deserts.[6] 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.[4]

The Loess Plateau is one of the largest and thickest loess plateaus in the world.[5] Its 635,000 km2 area corresponds to around 6.6% of the land area in China.[1] Around 108 million people inhabit the Loess Plateau.[3]

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.[5][7][8] In the past few decades, the environment and climate has changed, including the rainfall pattern, vegetation cover, and the natural hazards.[9] These changes may relate to human development in the plateau; Chinese environmental officials are trying to find sustainable ways to manage the region.[9]

  1. ^ a b Sun, Jianfeng; Li, Guangdong; Zhang, Ying; Qin, Weishan; Wang, Mengyao (2022-07-01). "Identification of priority areas for afforestation in the Loess Plateau region of China". Ecological Indicators. 140: 108998. Bibcode:2022EcInd.14008998S. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108998. ISSN 1470-160X.
  2. ^ "Loess Plateau | China, Map, Location, & Facts". Britannica.
  3. ^ a b Li, Xueling; Philp, Joshua; Cremades, Roger; Roberts, Anna; He, Liang; Li, Longhui; Yu, Qiang (April 2016). "Agricultural vulnerability over the Chinese Loess Plateau in response to climate change: Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity". Ambio. 45 (3): 350–360. Bibcode:2016Ambio..45..350L. doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0727-8. ISSN 0044-7447. PMC 4815761. PMID 26563383.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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. Bibcode:2020EngGe.26505372F. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2019.105372. ISSN 0013-7952. S2CID 210617961.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ 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. Bibcode:2006ESPol...9..675W. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2006.08.003. ISSN 1462-9011.