Geodata of European loess domains

We present a new map of the distribution of aeolian sediments (mainly loess) and major potential source areas for Europe in Lehmkuhl et al. (accepted). The map was compiled combining geodata of different mapping approaches. Most of the used geodata stems from accurate national maps of 27 different countries. Problematic aspects such as different nomenclatures across administrative borders were carefully investigated and revised. The result is a seamless map, which comprises pedological, geological, and geomorphological data and can be used for paleoenvironmental and archeological studies and other applications. Further, we divided the loess areas into 6 main loess domains and 17 subdomains, to understand and explain the factors controlling their distribution and characteristics. For the subdivision we used the following criteria: (1) influence of silt production areas, (2) affiliation to subcatchments, as rivers are very important regional silt transport agents, (3) occurrence of past periglacial activity with characteristic overprinting of the deposits. Thes geodataset contains the borders of loess domains as published in Lehmkuhl et al. (accepted). A layer package file can be used to obtain the same visual appearance as published. The methdology is described in the referenced paper. References Lehmkuhl, F., Nett, J.J., Pötter, S., Schulte, P., Sprafke, T., Jary, Z., Antoine, P., Wacha, L., Wolf, D., Zerboni, A., Hošek, J., Marković, S.B., Obreht, I., Sümegi, P., Veres, D., Zeeden, C., Boemke, B.J., Schaubert, V., Viehweger, J., Hambach, U., accepted. Loess landscapes of Europe - mapping, geomorphology, and zonal differentiation. Earth-Science Reviews.