MASTERTERRACES

The Maas Valley near Maastricht is characterized by a succession of river terraces, shaped by sedimentation and erosion of the Maas during alternating cold (glacial) and warm (interglacial) periods over the past 2.5 million years. During the glacial periods, coarse sediments (gravel and sand) were deposited, while during the interglacial periods erosion occurred, and the Maas deeply incised into its old bed. As a result of the combination of tectonic uplift of South Limburg, the deposition of river sediments, and the periodic incisions of the Maas, a large number of river terraces have formed.
The terraces can be several kilometers wide, but also much narrower, depending on the extent to which they have been eroded later. The terraces are often used for arable farming because they are flat and due to the fertile loess. Loess is a very fine-grained sediment deposited by wind during the last two ice ages (Saale and Weichsel). Where the terrace transitions have significant elevation differences, the steep edges are often wooded and visible in the landscape.

In the image: Diagram of river terraces

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