INTRODUCTION + Figs
The loess cover is present all over Middle Belgium, to the north of the Meuse and Sambre rivers (Fig. x), these deposits belong to the Romont Group which encompasses two formations. The Gembloux Formation, ascribed to the Upper Pleistocene, extends from the Hesbaye to the Schelde Valley; it is often preserved on top of the Rocourt Pedocomplex, the latter being partly related to Eemian marine sediments preserved in the Flemish Valley (Paepe, 1967). On the contrary, the Veldwezelt Formation of Middle Pleistocene age, is only recorded for the best to the north of Liège where it covers the Rothem Terrace deposits (Meijs, 2002) which relate to the upper part of the Cromerian Complex in the Netherlands (Zonneveld, 1975, 139).
Figure X. Distribution of the Pleistocene cover deposits and location of the main type localities of the loess belt. 1 : Harmignies; 2 : Maisières-Canal; 3 : Remicourt; 4. Rocourt; 5 Eben-Emael; 6 : Kesselt and Veldwezelt.
Figure 2: Lithostratigraphic units of the Belgian loess belt and comparison with former lithostratigraphic scheme of Gullentops et al. (2001).
Figure 3: South-west/north-east cross-section from Lafelt to Veldwezelt showing the relationships between the different members of the Veldwezelt Formation, covering the Middle Pleistocene, the last interglacial (Eemian) and the Weichselian early glacial.