Loess and loess-like deposits as products of cryolithogenic processes

Abstract

Article in French.

ORIGINAL TITLE: Les loess et dépôts loessoïdes, produit des processus cryolithogènes

The article examines how climatic conditions influence loess formation. The importance of groundwater chemical activity and high temperatures in intensifying salt deposition in soil pores is emphasised. In regions with thick snow cover and frequent temperature fluctuations around 0 °C, nivation, a cryoeluvial process predominates. Thick loess deposits result from slow sediment accumulation and transformations driven by cryogenic and diagenetic processes. The presence of permafrost limits loessification depending on active-layer thickness and sedimentation rate.