When George met Slobodan: an important encounter in the history of loess investigation

Meetings are important. In the 1830s Karl Caesar von Leonhard met Charles Lyell in Heidelberg, and the study of loess was truly launched. KCvL had defined loess, and given it status, by including it in his book 'Charakteristik der Felsarten'(1824). KCvL showed the loess to Lyell, who in turn, included it in his book 'Principles of Geology'. The Principles had world-wide distribution, was very influential, and served to spread the word on loess.

In 1997 George Kukla met Slobodan Markovic; a meeting also with consequences. Each brought something interesting to the encounter. Kukla was a significant pioneer in loess stratigraphy and had made the exciting connection between the loess record and the data from deep sea sediments. Slobodan, in effect, brought Serbia, and thus smoothed access to what are arguably the best loess deposits in Europe. Serbian loess stratigraphy became the benchmark for European studies and provided a useful impetus to the wholesale study of loess in the Danube basin. KCvL + Lyell promoted Rhine loess; George + Slobodan promoted Danube loess.

Smalley, I.J.  1978.  Pleistocene land-sea correlations. Nature 272, 754-755  [this is about Kukla's work on loess & deep sea sediments.]
Smalley, I.J., Markovic, S.B., O'Hara-Dhand, K.  2010.  Charles Lyell from 1832 to 1835: marriage, Principles. 2 trips to Heidelberg, snails and loess.  Central European Journal of Geosciences 2, 15-18.