Soil Erosion: Types and Causes of

Soil Erosion: Types and Causes of Soil Erosion!

Types:
The loss of nutrient rich top soil or disturbances to the soil structure by some natural processes or
anthropogenic activities is known as soil erosion. According to Odum (1966) soil erosion is a
part of the soil pollution.

According to Rama Rao (1962), the soil erosion is creeping death of the soil. When the rate of
removal of soil exceeds the rate of soil formation, the soil erosion occurs.

The soil erosions are of two types:

(i) Natural or geological or background soil erosion

(ii) Accelerated soil erosion

The nature soil erosion takes place by normal or natural conditions without any interference of
man. But the accelerated soil erosion is due to active interference of man and animals in
disturbing the equilibrium in between the rate of soil formation and rate of soil loss.

Causes:
The process of soil erosions caused by the following agents:
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(a) Water erosion:

Water is powerful agent causing soil erosion either in the form of rain drops or in the form of
surface flow. When the soil is lost like a thin covering from a large surface area, the process is
known as sheet erosion. When the sheet erosion takes place with full momentum, leading to
cutting of soil surface as thin channels, it is known as rill erosion. Several rills from the steep
slope converge forming wider channel known as gully erosion.

(b) Wind erosion:

In dry (arid) regions, the soil is mainly sandy and the vegetation is grossly inadequate. In such
places, wind causes loss of soil.

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(c) Land slide or slip erosion:
When the rocks at cliffs face heavy rains, their weights undergo sharp rise due to gravitational
forces. Such rocks with high weights slip over lower rocks causing land slide and there by slip
erosion.

(d) Stream bank erosion:

During flood, the rivers splash their water against banks and cut through them taking away soil
from the bank.

(e) Deforestation and overgrazing:

Loss of natural vegetation due to deforestation and overgrazing leads to dry and dust soil which
can be taken away easily by wind and water.

(f) Mining erosion:

A lot of soil is also eroded due to mining and industrial activities.

Since soil is very precious for the existence of living organisms, it is the need of the hour to
prevent the loss of soil by adopting suitable mechanisms.

Soil Erosion

Soil erosion pays the biggest price to farmers. Flooding, wind etc. can carry the topsoil away
from farmlands, and make the soil unfertile. I will have more information in the pages ahead.

Soil erosion is a global matter of concern today. We cannot even list the benefits of proper fertile
soil in one single article; such huge are its utilities. Let us just say that soil supports life on Earth.
Plants, trees, humans, animals, micro-organisms everything grows on the soil. As if the soil
pollution and soil contamination was not enough, the soil erosion has now increased and just
added to our agony. If all the soil is eroded away, that day is not far away when there will be
absolutely no soil left for us. Time for us to conserve soil along with all other forms of life on
earth.

Soil erosion is caused by some factors. We cannot just blame human activities for the carrying
away of soil particles. There are many natural reasons that lead to soil erosions. Factors like
glaciers, surface runoffs, river and stream waters, lightning, exfoliation of rocks and several such
factors lead to the erosion of soil. But well, humans cannot be left out completely. Around 40-
50% of the soil erosion on earth is caused by humans and their irresponsible behaviors.
Deforestation, improper farming techniques, intensive agriculture, construction of roads, bridges
and dams all lead to soil erosion.
Enough said about what leads to soil erosion. But have you ever thought what can soil erosion
lead to? What effects can soil erosion have on the earth? That’s what we are here to discuss
today, the harmful and hazardous effects caused by soil erosion. Let’s have a look.
 While it is true that intensive agriculture and improper farming methods lead to soil erosion,
it is equally true that soil erosion affects further agriculture. When the soil is being eroded, it
is not just the soil that is taken away, the minerals and nutrients that naturally occur in the
soil are also carried away along with it. Soil erosion removes the topmost layer of the soil,
which no doubt, is the most fertile and most productive part of any soil. When the top layer
is removed, rills and gullies are formed in the soil.

The harmful effects of the removal of the topmost layer of the soil just do not end here. When
the top layer is removed, the soil’s ability to store water and other nutrients are reduced. It also
exposes the subsoil, which is the second layer of the soil. This subsoil has very poor physical and
chemical properties. The crops that were newly planted are washed off along with the soil.
 The soil erosion also affects the waterways. It leads to deposition of silt in the water courses
and in the paths through which water flows. The eroded soil might contain fertilizers,
pesticides and other harmful chemicals which will degrade the quality of the water in these
rivers and streams.
 Soil erosion harms the soil’s capacity of growing plants and crops. Due to this, the
agricultural yield tends to get lower on that soil. Also, due to soil erosion, there might be a
lot of clay deposited in the topmost layer of the soil, which results in shallower topsoil. This
limits the development of the roots of the plants and trees that grow in that soil.
 Most of the air pollution that is caused is due to soil erosion. The soil particles carried in the
air lead to dust. The air might also contain chemicals from agricultural lands. This soil dust
in the air often leads to respiratory problems and skin infections in humans.
 Soil erosion also harms the economy of the country in a great way. Especially in the
developing countries and also in the underdeveloped countries, the farmers themselves are
so poor that they cannot afford to implement methods of conservation of the soil. Hence,
they cannot stop the soil erosion and in a few years, the soil gets unsuitable for agriculture
due to continuous soil erosion.
 Places that are more exposed to soil erosion are eroded over years and years. This might lead
to desertification of the land in a few years after being constantly eroded. If the soil erosion
is not stopped, then all lands will turn into nothing but huge stretches of deserts, which are
not suitable for life.
 As mentioned above, due to soil erosion, the topmost layer of the soil is eroded, thus
exposing the subsoil. The subsoil has poor properties. Due to the exposure of the subsoil, the
moisture content of the soil decreases, as the poor subsoil cannot store enough moisture.
This kills the microorganisms that were inhabiting the soil. Thus, the fertility of the soil
deteriorates.
 Due to soil erosion, the Sandy storms in a particular area are increased. These storms not
only harm the plants and the crops, but they also are the main reason the rainfall in that
particular area reduces much than before.
 The soil that is eroded and carried away by waters from streams and rivers is deposited on
the river beds. Thus, the water levels in the rivers and streams increase due to this which
leads to floods. Floods have a disastrous and devastating effect on every form of life on
earth.
 The topmost layer of the soil takes as long as 300-400 years to form. When that soil is
eroded away rapidly, one can well imagine how long it will take for another top layer to
build up. Sadly enough, we humans do not give even a little time to the soil to recover for its
lost nutrients. We keep performing our activities without any break, thus degrading the soil.
Soil erosion might sound to be a small issue, but after knowing all the harmful effects that soil
erosion leads to, can we still say the same? Soil erosion is the basic agent that leads to many
other disastrous effects. Now that we know what impacts soil erosion has on the air, the water,
the economy, the foods, we can surely take an initiative now to stop soil erosion and save
whatever little is left.

WaystoPreventSoilErosion

SimpleSolutionstoPreventSoilErosion

Good news! By applying some relatively simple steps, you can control and prevent soil erosion!
The four most common soil erosion prevention methods are vegetation, geotextiles, mulch, and
retaining walls. Preventing soil erosion is critical in protecting your property and exposed soil,
whether from wind, weather, running water, and even the after-affects of forest fire.
Vegetation: The simplest and most natural way to prevent erosion is through planting
vegetation. Plants establish root systems, which stabilizes soil and prevents soil erosion.
Geotextiles: Using geotextiles is an effective method because it also stabilizes soil. When used
in conjunction with growing vegetation, it is even more effective. There are three main types of
geotextiles: woven,nonwoven, and coir.
Mulch/Fertilizer: Applying a layer of mulch to the soil top allows the soil to slowly soak up
water, as it protects against rain impact, and restores pH levels helping with erosion
prevention.
Retaining Walls: Retaining walls can be built around the area of erosion to prevent water run
off. Runoff water leads to further erosion, and if used with other methods, retaining walls can be
a very effective way to prevent soil erosion.