Recent developments and practical demands highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to loess research. Fertile soils formed during the Holocene on loess and other loose materials, accumulated under various Pleistocene environments, are crucial, as 80% of the world's corn output comes from these soils. However, cultivating loess regions can lead to soil erosion and the collapse of porous sediments, resulting in compaction and landslides. Consequently, designing and constructing on these terrains requires special care, often incurring additional costs. Key issues include the characteristic properties, structure, material composition, and origin of loess, as well as the overlying soils and intercalated paleosols, along with fossil remains of plants, animals, and early humans. Their dating and the study of paleoenvironments are essential, particularly regarding safe foundations for buildings on loess. This volume serves as a forum for interdisciplinary topics, presenting recent methods in loess research, results from instrumented analyses, laboratory and field experiments, and applications of findings in local, regional, and continental contexts.
