ETYM German löss.
A fine-grained unstratified accumulation of clay and silt deposited by the wind.
Deposit of rich loam soil occurring in belt in N hemisphere.
Yellow loam, derived from glacial meltwater deposits and accumulated by wind in periglacial regions during the ice ages. Loess usually attains considerable depths, and the soil derived from it is very fertile. There are large deposits in central Europe (Hungary), China, and North America. It was first described in 1821 in the Rhine area, and takes its name from a village in Alsace.