Loess Hills

(Abby Brown, host of FIND Iowa, is standing in front of the camera. There is Iowa prairie behind her. She is wearing a short sleeved Iowa PBS shirt.)

[Abby Brown] At first glance, we could be at any number of beautiful locations in Iowa. But actually, there's only one other place in the whole world as special as this. Let me show you.

(Abby reaches down and picks up a hunk of loess soil.)

[Abby] This is a hunk of loess soil. Loess means loose and crumbly. It's almost like powder. How is this soil different than the soil that you're used to seeing, and where in Iowa can you find it?

(music)

(Drone footage flying over the Loess Hills in early fall. The leaves on trees are changing colors and there is frost on the tops of trees.)

(Close up of a cut out of a loess hill with green prairie grass on top.)

[Abby] The Loess Hills are an Iowa treasure on the western side of our state. Once upon a time, this unique soil was crushed by glaciers brought in by the wind to make these huge hills. And, the thing is, the soil is so soft and delicate that when water runs through it it crumbles. And carves out really cool designs in the land.

(music)

(Drone footage flying above the Loess Hills showing the snake-like, rolling carvings of the loess hills over many miles of Iowa land.)

Abby: The only other place in the world with deeper deposits of this unique soil is China. Which makes our Loess Hills even more geologically amazing. The thing to remember is that wind formed these hills, but today water plays a big role too. And that's why they're often called fragile giants. When it rains in Iowa, in your town, your lawn probably gets a good drink of water. But here in the Loess Hills, that water is causing continuous erosion. Over these 200 miles of hills, that run south to north along the Missouri River, there are some differences. Some areas have gently sloping hills covered in prairie, while other parts are more rough looking and have more trees. No matter what's growing on these hills now, the unique part is what's underneath, the loess. Glaciers ground the soil up so much that it's like the flour we use to make cakes and cookies. And it's so light that wind and water can make a huge difference. You should come here and see just how amazing the Loess Hills really are. And when you do, make sure that you take care of this beautiful place so that generations to come can enjoy it too.

(music)

[Announcer] Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by the following supporters.

(text on screen Find Iowa, Pella, Gilchrist Foundation)

(text on screen Iowa PBS Education)