How did windblown loess form deposits across the European Plain?

The formation of loess across the European Plain is primarily attributed to the transport and deposition of silt-sized particles by wind during the Pleistocene Epoch.123

A significant source of this dust was the marginal zone of the continental ice sheets that covered parts of Europe. During glacial advances, massive quantities of silt-rich till accumulated in these areas. Westerly winds subsequently carried this fine material and deposited it on the lee side of various relief features.1

Additionally, fluvial processes played a role in providing source material. Rivers transported abundant silt into basins and floodplains, where it was later picked up by winds and redeposited. This process often involved "double sorting"—first by water and then by wind—resulting in the characteristic grain size of loess.1

Once deposited, the accumulated dust underwent diagenesis, a process involving physical and chemical changes such as the cementation of grains by calcium carbonate and iron oxides, which transformed the loose sediment into the porous, stable deposit known today.13