Loess and Loess Geohazards in China

Loess is a product of aeolian deposition during the Quaternary glaciation cycles and covers approximately 6% of the Earth’s land. The Loess Plateau of China, which is home to a population of nearly three hundred million, has the thickest and most complete loess strata, where loess geohazards occur most frequently due to the weak geoenvironment and dense human activities. In recent years, the engineering geological characteristics of loess and geohazards in loess areas have gradually received increasing attention from academic researchers. This book reviews an informative collection of up-to-date literature in this field. It presents the unique features of loess and loess geohazards, and provides a strong foundation for future study via eight systematically structured chapters, e.g., origin and spatial distribution, loess landforms, microstructure, physical properties, permeability, shear strength, tensile strength, and loess geohazard. It can serve as a principal reference for researchers, practical engineers and technicians who are engaged in loess geology and surface processes, and is suitable especially for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the field of loess engineering geology.

1 Origin and spatial distribution 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Definition of loess 1.3 Evidence of aeolian origin of loess 1.4 Spatial distribution 2 Loess landforms 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Platforms 2.3 Ridges 2.4 Hillocks 2.5 Gully 2.6 Secondary landforms 2.7 Formation and evolution of loess landform 3 Loess microstructure 3.1 Microstructural characteristics 3.2 Classification of microstructure 3.3 Particle size zoning across the loess plateau 3.4 Microstructural characteristics under SEM 3.5 Summary 4 Physical and mechanical properties 4.1 Classification of loess 4.2 Physical and mechanical properties 5 Loess permeability 5.1 Dry density 5.2 Buried depth 5.3 Confining pressure 5.4 Permeation time 5.5 Freeze–thaw cycle 5.6 Anisotropy 6 Shear strength 6.1 Sedimentary age 6.2 Moisture content 6.3 Test methods 6.4 Dry density, void ratio and compaction degree 6.5 Shear direction 7 Tensile strength 7.1 Significance 7.2 Tensile strength 7.3 Influencing factors 8 Loess geohazards in China 8.1 Loess geohazards in China 8.2 Shallow loess collapse 8.3 Deep-seated loess landslide

Prof. Yanrong Li, PhD, works in the Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering at Taiyuan University of Technology, China. He is a funding Director of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Geohazard Process and Prevention at this university. He worked for ten years as a practicing engineer and field geologist in Hong Kong, Australia and China before he turned to be a full professor. The research of Prof. Li focuses on Quaternary Geology, Geoenvironment and Geohazards. He is a Chartered Geologist (CGeol) of the Geological Society of London and a Professional Member (MIMMM) of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He served as an Associate Editor of KSCE – Journal of Civil Engineering and is now an Editorial Board Member of the Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. Professor Yanrong Li welcomes discussions on the contents of this book and diverse collaboration with experts of similar interests. Dr. Jingui Zhao, has been in the Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering at Taiyuan University of Technology, China since September 2004. He obtained academic degrees of BSc (in Engineering Geology, 1998), MSc (in Mineral Resource Prospecting and Exploration, 2004) and PhD (in TectonicGeomorphology, 2014) all from Taiyuan University of Technology. Dr. Zhao has great research interests in Structure Geology, Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology, and Geohazard. He has conducted research projects with outstanding outcomes, and published peer-review academic papers in these fields. Dr. Bin Li, works in the Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering at Taiyuan University of Technology, China since 2016. He lived in the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, for seven years, where he completed his MSc in Quaternary Geology and Paleoclimate in 2007, and PhD in Seismotectonics and Seismic Hazard in 2015. Prior to his PhD study in UiB, Dr. Li worked for three years as an engineer at the Earthquake Administration of Shanxi Province, CEA, China. His research focuses on Quaternary Geology, Earthquake Seismology, and Earthquake-induced Geohazard. He is involved in many research and has published a number of peer-review papers.