The Axpoint slope is located in the sheltered basin surrounding Spitz. Persistent westerlies during the last ice ages deposited thick layers of loess. Loess consists mainly of silt, soil of a grain-size fraction between coarse sand and fine clay, which can be easily transported by wind (silt: 0.063-0.002 mm). The mineral composition of loess is dominated by quartz, feldspars, micas, clay minerals and calcite (carbonate). Iron oxides give the loess a yellowish-brown colour.