explain the causes of soil erosion.
Answers
Answer:
•Although soil erosion is a natural process, human activities have greatly accelerated it.
•The agents of soil erosion are the same as of other types of erosion: water, ice, wind, and gravity.
•Soil erosion is more likely where the ground has been disturbed by agriculture, grazing animals, logging, mining, construction, and recreational activities.
Explanation:
Causes of Soil Erosion
Various agents, like wind, water, deforestation, overgrazing by cattle, etc., cause soil erosion.
The various factors of soil erosion are:
1. Wind
*When strong winds blow, the topsoil along with the organic matter is carried away by the wind.
* This happens more often when the land is not covered with grass or plants.
*Such conditions are very common in desert and semi-desert regions where strong winds blow very frequently.
2. Water
*When it rains in the hilly areas, the soil gets washed away towards the plains.
*The running water deposits the mineral-rich soil in the riverbed and over the years this deposition of soil can change the course of the river.
*This can lead to floods which cause the destruction of life and property.
*Water erosion leads to loss of agriculture potential.
3. Overgrazing
*When cattle are allowed to graze on the same field repeatedly, all the available grass, including the roots are eaten by them.
*This makes the topsoil vulnerable to wind and flowing water, leading to soil erosion.
4. Deforestation
*Humans have taken land from the forest to cultivate in order to feed the ever-increasing population and to build houses, industries, etc.
*Cutting down of trees on a large scale for these purposes is deforestation.
*The roots of trees hold the soil together, thus preventing the soil from getting uprooted.
*When large areas of the forest are cleared, the topsoil gets eroded by wind and flowing water.