Mississippi has a variety of different soils. The three general soils are 1) the river floodplain, known as the Delta, 2) a region of loess or bands of soils formed in wind-blown materials that adjoin the Delta, and 3) coastal plain. The Mississippi Delta is better for row cropping, while the loess and coastal plain region is better for livestock production and forestry. Loess and coastal plain regions are divided based on similar soils, geology, climate, water resources, and land use, called major land resource areas. The soil of the Mississippi Delta comes from sediments left behind by flooding of various rivers in the region, rather than being a typical delta formed by the mouth of a river. In the Delta, most land is cultivated, with three-quarters of cultivated land in the north. Surface water control and drainage are major soil management issues. In the Delta, the soils are naturally diversified due to their alluvial origin. Particle size in sediments decreases as distance from the original stream increases. Another factor in the formation of Delta soils is the movement of surface water over time, as soils formed under standing water have different properties than soils formed under moving water. Soils containing large amounts of clay particles exhibit unique characteristics. When the soil is dry, small round aggregates form on the surface that resemble buckshot, hence the popular name "buckshot" for Delta clay soils. Soils with high clay content have very slow water filtration rates; this has led to significant aquaculture and rice production in the region. As floodwaters receded into the delta, strong winds blew some of the dry sediment left by the swollen river into the adjacent uplands to form the loess areas. Because of the ease...... middle of paper ......c Research Papers, 1964. Jackson, MS: Mississippi Geological, Economic and Topographical Survey, 1964. 15. Print.4. Hilgard, Eugene W. “The Orange Sand Era.” Mississippi State Geology and Agriculture Report. Jackson, MS: E. Barksdale, State Printer, 1860. 17. Print.5. Marsh, Bob. “Guide to the Mississippi Barrier Islands.” Guide to Mississippi's Barrier Islands. Np, and Web. March 30, 2014.6. Krinitzsky, EL, and Willard Jay Turnbull. Mississippi loess deposits. New York: Geological Society of America, 1967. Print.7. Huang, Ter-chien. Sediments and sedimentary processes of the Eastern Mississippi Fan, Gulf of Mexico. Tallahassee: Florida State University, Sedimentary Research Laboratory, 1969. Print.8. Bennett, Frank and R. A. Winston. Soil Survey of Pontotoc County, Mississippi. Washington, DC: GPO, 1907. 405. Print.