How is the landform of the Loess Plateau formed?

The ravines on the Loess Plateau are vertical and horizontal, which are caused by soil erosion. Loess is a fine-grained soil with loose and upright texture, belonging to silty loam with low organic matter and clay content. Therefore, the role of soil-forming particles depends largely on calcium carbonate in loess. Calcium carbonate is easy to dissolve in rainwater, because rainwater contains carbonic acid, which reacts chemically with calcium carbonate, dissolving calcium carbonate and losing the function of bonding soil particles, thus causing loess to be easily dispersed and washed away in rainwater.

On the other hand, the loess plateau has loose soil, large slope, sparse vegetation, heavy rain in summer, and running water has a strong erosion effect on the soil. As long as even tiny gullies appear, they will deepen and widen rapidly, and the gullies will continue to develop and extend. Ditches cut and dismembered the Loess Plateau like countless swords. At the same time, the crust of the Loess Plateau is still rising, and rivers and ditches are still being cut underground, further aggravating the ups and downs of this plateau.

The most important reasons for large-scale destruction of forests are deforestation, land reclamation, expansion of cultivated land and overgrazing.