Erosion is a naturally occurring process by which materials are removed from the surface and transported to another location. It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such as burrowing animals.
Causes of Erosion
Rainfall and Runoff
Lighter particles such as fine sand, silt, clay and organic matter can be easily removed by the raindrop splash and runoff water, greater raindrop energy or runoff amounts move the larger sand and gravel particles.
Runoff can occur whenever there is excess water on a slope that cannot be absorbed into the soil or trapped on the surface. The amount of runoff depends on soil compaction, crusting or freezing. Runoff from the agricultural land may be greatest when the soils are saturated, snow is melting and vegetative cover is minimal.
Slope gradient
The steeper the slope of a field, the greater the amount of material is lost from erosion by water. Erosion also increased with slope length due to greater accumulation of runoff.
Vegetation
Plant and residue cover protects the soil from erosion. Soil erosion potential is increased if the soil has no or very little vegetative cover of plants. Crops which provide protective cover for a major portion of the year can reduce erosion much more than can crops which leave the soil bare for a longer period of time and particularly during periods of high erosive rainfall.
Erodibility of soil
Ability of soil to resist erosion depends different for each type of soil. Sand, sandy loam and loam textured soils tend to be less erodible than silt, very fine sand, and certain clay textured soils. Certain agricultural practices contribute to soil erodibility (ability of soils to resist erosion).
Soil surface
Smooth soil surfaces offer little resistance to the wind. However, over time, ridges can be filled in and the roughness broken down by abrasion to produce a smoother surface susceptible to the wind. Excess tillage can contribute to soil structure breakdown and increased erosion.
Image sources: https://www.arthursclipart.org/nature/nature/soil%20erosion.gif
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