Loess in China and landslides in loess slopes

摘要

Loess in china is outstanding for its stratigraphical intactness,huge thickness,vast expanse ofdistribution and metastable geotechnical properties. During the Quaternary Period the arid,semi-arid climaticenvironment provided the stage on which material sources came into being,grain particles were wind-transportedand deposited and loess strata were thus formed. The paper puts emphasis on the granulometry and engineeringproperties peculiar to loessial deposits as well as the role they might play in the initiation and evolution of loesslandslides. From this,the paper proceeds to such problems as geomorphological zonation,landslide distribution,morphological and structural features of loess landslides as well as landslide classifications,giving due attentionto seismic landslides. This is followed by a summing-up of the methods of landslide prevention and remediation.Finally,the issues that need more attention and further in-depth research are raised.