Loess is not only found on the plains of China, and the name does not imply a specific locality or type section. The term "loess" indicates a specific origin and depositional environment - loess deposits are 1/16 to 1/32 millimeter-sized grains, emplaced by wind. Individual grains are almost exclusively siliceous, and derive from deserts or poorly vegetated (dry) areas near glaciers. Leoss deposits are commonly massive (not an expression of size, but indicating no stratification is present) and well graded. The word, I believe, is Scandanavian in origin. I have a sample of loess collected from between 30-50 feet below ground surface in Natchez, Mississippi.
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<br>Loess deposits are, as Ed indicated, quite extensive in China. The erosion and entrainment of these deposits give the Yellow River its name. Loess is particularly fertile and is associated with some of the finest farming land in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois.
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<br>Cheers -
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<br>John Williams, P.G.
<br>Registered Professional Geologist
<br>Mississippi, Alabama, Florida<br><br>