Geomorphological characteristics of the Loess Plateau

The most typical feature of loess landform is the depth of gullies, with thousands of gullies and valleys.

There are a large number of gullies in the Loess Plateau of China. The average density of gullies reaches 3 to 5 kilometers per square kilometer, and even reaches 10 kilometers per square kilometer in some areas. A large number of criss-crossing gullies make the loess plateau surface very broken, and many plateaus are separated by gullies.

Generally, these gullies can be cut off by 50 to 100 meters, and some areas even exceed 150 meters. The unique landform features make the communication between people very inconvenient, which also gives birth to the high-pitched folk songs in northern Shaanxi.

The source of loess

Loess Plateau is the source of loess, which is widely distributed in the world, accounting for about one tenth of the country's land area. China is the country with the largest and thickest loess distribution area in the world. It is distributed in the vast area from Yinshan Mountain in the north, Tianshan Mountain in the west, Kunlun Mountain in the south and Taihang Mountain in the east, with a total area of 630,000 square kilometers, and its main part is the Loess Plateau.

The formation of the Loess Plateau is mainly due to the uplift of the crust, and the average thickness of the deep loess layer covered on it can reach about 100 meters. These loess layers are definitely not the product of local weathering crust. At present, the main point of view is that the loess layer of the loess plateau comes from aeolian deposits. The airflow from the northwest carries dust, and when it reaches the Loess Plateau, the wind is weakened, and sediment deposits form loess accumulation. Such a deep accumulation of loess has also created conditions for local people to build houses "caves".