What is soil erosion Soil erosion is the

What is soil erosion? Soil erosion is the washing or blowing away (by water or wind) of the top layer of soil. It is caused by factors such as water, wind and tillage of farm fields.

Types of soil erosion There are two main types of soil erosion : v Wind erosion v Water erosion

Wind erosion It is the process of detachment transportation and deposition of soil particles by the action of wind. Basic cause of wind erosion is: • Soil is loose, finely divided and dry • Soil surface is smooth and bare. • Wind is strong to detach the soil particles from soil surface.

Water erosion Removal of topsoil by water is called water erosion. It takes place in the following ways: • Raindrop/ splash erosion. • Sheet erosion. • Rill erosion. • Gully erosion. • Stream erosion.

Causes of soil erosion § Climatic Factors § Land use – by man § Soil itself § Hydrology § Landform

Effects of Soil Erosion • Soil erosion results in the loss of soil fertility and makes the land barren. There are more than 25 million hectares of barren lands in the world now. • Soil erosion also leads to desertification. Desertification refers to increase of desert areas.

Control of Soil Erosion • Increase of Vegetation • Crop Rotation • Reforestation • Strip Cropping • Restoring Soil Fertility • Control of Grazing • Terracing • Wind Breakers • Dam Building

Its time to think…

Q 1 - Washing or blowing away of the top layer of soil is called _______ a) Soil conservation b) Soil erosion c) Deforestation d) Strip cropping

Q 2 - Cause of soil erosion is______ a) Strip cropping b) Crop rotation c) Land use d) Terracing

Q 3 - Terracing is the_______ a) Type of soil erosion b) Effect of soil erosion c) cause of soil erosion d) Control of soil erosion

Ans 1 - Soil Erosion Ans 2 - Land use Ans 3 - Control of soil erosion

References • http: //www. tutorvista. com/content/biology/ biology-ii/environment-and-environmentalproblems/soil-erosion. php • https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Erosion • http: //www. 123 rf. com/clipartvector/genius. html • http: //www. agriinfo. in/? page=topic&superid= 8&topicid=68