Why were the loess belt's soils suitable for the earliest farming settlements in northern Europe?

The loess belt of the northern European Plain was highly suitable for the earliest farming settlements because its soils were porous, well-drained, and lightly wooded. These characteristics made the land significantly easier to work with the fragile stone and bone tools available to prehistoric farmers than the thickly forested clay soils found in the lowlands.1

Because these areas required less labor-intensive clearing, they became the principal region for settlement north of the Alps. This preference is particularly evident in the LBK Culture, which established a homogeneous pattern of settlements across central and western Europe starting around 5400 bce, consistently selecting these easily worked, well-drained loess soils for their villages. Generally, loess is recognized for its high porosity and fertility, which are conducive to intensive agriculture.123