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    Loess

    Ice-age dust carried by the wind and laid down as deep, fine-grained ground.

    Loess in the atlas

    1. Atlas regionRheingau
    2. Atlas regionWachau
    3. Atlas regionTokaj

    Atlas regions where this rock appears in the text or the soil profile.

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    What it is

    Loess is wind-blown (aeolian) silt that forms a distinct sedimentary body, and it covers a significant portion of the Earth's land surface.1 In most regions it was deposited during glacial periods, and its thickness, particle size and carbonate content decrease downwind from its sources.1 Silt particles measure 0.002 to 0.05 mm, between sand and clay.2

    loess
    gravel
    clay

    Schematic: how fast water drains through the rock. A qualitative comparison based on the sources on this page.

    Rheingau and Wachau

    In the Rheingau loess or sandy loess is the main parent material, and on it deep, nutrient-rich soils with a balanced water regime develop.3 In the Wachau loess deposits often built up on the east sides of the primary-rock slopes.4 Downvalley, the weathered primary-rock soils are in places covered by small islands of loess.5

    Tokaj

    In Tokaj loess covers about 5% of the area, for example around Tarcal and Tokaj.6 The UNESCO nomination dossier says loess covers the foothill slope up to a height of 250 metres.7

    Regions

    Sources

    1. Loess and its geomorphic, stratigraphic and paleoclimatic significance in the Quaternary (D. R. Muhs). U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center. level 3 · checked 2026-10-13
    2. Determining Soil Texture by Feel (AGR-217; Ritchey, McGrath, Gehring). University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2015. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    3. Die Böden und ihre Verbreitung in den hessischen Weinbaugebieten (K. Friedrich, K.-J. Sabel). Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG). level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    4. Produktspezifikation für eine Ursprungsbezeichnung gem. VO (EU) 1308/2013 Art. 94: Wachau. Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft (Austria). level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    5. Die Wachau. Vinea Wachau Nobilis Districtus. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    6. TOKAJ termékleírás (OEM product specification), 2020. Agrárminisztérium (Hungary), boraszat.kormany.hu, 2020. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    7. Nomination dossier: Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape (1063). UNESCO World Heritage Centre / Hungary. level 2 · checked 2026-10-13