Soil Erosion Flashcards
(4 cards)
1
Q
Describe soil erosion.
A
- Soil erosion refers to the removal of topsoil with the help of wind and water. - It causes damage to soil fertility by eroding the topsoil which contains all mineral nutrients.
- Soil is eroded in many ways. The most common ways are sheet erosion and gully erosion
2
Q
What is sheet erosion?
A
- during rainfall, the volume of run-off is high
- as the top soil is not protected by plant cover, it gets eroded easily
- this is known as sheet erosion
3
Q
What is gully erosion?
A
- When rainfall happens on an uneven surface, it scoops out deep and narrow groves
- these grooves widen overtime to form badlands of ravines such as the Chambal valley in Madhya Pradesh
4
Q
What are the causes of soil erosion?
A
- PHYSICAL FACTORS such as slope of land, intensity of rainfall and velocity of wind
- HUMAN FACTORS such as unscientific farming, overgrazing, over irrigation, overuse of chemical fertilisers
