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Earth Science

Module 2
Lesson 4

TOPIC: Soil Resources

INTRODUCTION:

Group Game Activity - List down all human activities that may affect the quality and quantity of soil.
Divide the class into 3-5 groups, depending on the class size. This is a quick, 3-minute exercise. Ask each group
to list down all human activities that they could think of that could adversely affect the quality and quality of
soil. It is expected that they will come up with similar answers. Once the 3- minute mark is up, each group
should stop writing further. Go through the answers of each group and cross out answers that are similar. The
group that ends up with the most answers wins the game.
Round up the activity by filling in the gaps - identifying human activities that have not been mentioned. Use the
guide list below.

Guide List:
1. Agricultural Depletion
2. Overgrazing Animals
3. Deforestation
4. Mining
5. Development and Expansion
6. Recreational activities, like driving vehicles off-road or hiking

INSTRUCTION:

 Soil is especially vulnerable to erosion if it is bare or exposed. Plants therefore serve a tremendous role
in preventing soil erosion. If the soil is covered with plants, erosion is slowed down. But when soil is
bare, the rate of erosion speeds up tremendously. Here are some human activities that leave the soil
exposed and speed up erosion. We speed up erosion through the following actions.

1. Agricultural Depletion - Farming can degrade the topsoil and lead to an increase in erosion. To plant a
field, a farmer must first till the soil, breaking it up and loosening it so the new plants can take root.
Once the plants are harvested, the loose soil remains and wind or rain can easily wash it away. In the
1930s, much of the American plains suffered greatly from erosion due to non-sustainable farming
practices, creating the Dust Bowl and leading to widespread poverty and migration to the west coast.
Planting cover crops in the fall can help maintain the soil through the winter months, reducing the
amount of erosion. In addition, rotating the crops planted can help return nutrients to the soil to prevent
its degradation.
2. Overgrazing Animals - Grazing animals are animals that live on large areas of grassland. They wander
over the area and eat grasses and shrubs. They can remove large amounts of the plant cover for an area.
If too many animals graze the same land area, once the tips of grasses and shrubs have been eaten, they
will use their hooves to pull plants out by their roots.
3. Deforestation - Deforestation is another practice that can greatly increase the rate of erosion in a region.
One of the most important barriers to erosion is plant life, as long-lived trees and other species put down
roots that literally help hold the soil together. Logging kills these plants, and even if the operation plants
new trees to replace the old ones, the younger plants require years to put down the kind of root system
that once protected the soil. Timber companies utilize a variety of different techniques, such as partial
clearing and replanting, to prevent soil degradation and erosion in their work zones.
4. Mining operations are major contributors to erosion, especially on a local level. Many mining
techniques involve shifting large amounts of earth, such as strip mining or mountaintop removal. These
operations leave large amounts of loose soil exposed to the elements, and they often require large
 amounts of water, which can exacerbate the erosion process. Even once the mining operation is
completed and the company replaces the earth, it lacks the established vegetation that helped it maintain
its coherency before removal, and until plants can reestablish themselves, erosion will continue to be a
problem.
5. Development and Expansion - Urban and suburban development can also exacerbate erosion,
especially if the developers ignore the natural state of the land. Construction of a building often begins
by clearing the area of any plants or other natural defenses against soil erosion. In addition, some
landscapers replace natural ground cover with plant species unsuited to the climate, and these plants may
not be as effective at preventing erosion.
6. Recreational activities, like driving vehicles off-road or hiking - Humans also cause erosion through
recreational activities, like hiking and riding off-road vehicles. An even greater amount of erosion
occurs when people drive off-road vehicles over an area. The area eventually develops bare spots where
no plants can grow. Erosion becomes a serious problem in these areas.

ENRICHMENT:

Reflection Activity: How soil can be conserved and protected for future generations?

EVALUATION:

Write a 200 word essay about your understanding of the causes of soil erosion and prevention strategies.

REFERENCES:

 Carlson, D.H., Carlson, Plummer, C.C., and Hammersley, L., 2011. Physical Geology: Earth Revealed.
McGraw-Hill. 645 p.
 Desonie, D., 2015. CK-12 Earth Science High School . http:// www.ck12.org/earth-science/
 Junine, J.I., 2013. Earth Evolution of a Habitable World. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press.
304 p.
 Kirkland, K. 2010. Earth Science: notable research and discoveries. Facts on File, Inc., 212 p.
 Lutgens, F.K., Tarbuck, E.J. and Tassa, D., 2013. Essentials of Geology. 11th Edition. Pearson Prentice
Hall, 554 p.
 Tarbuck, E.J. and Lutgens, F.K., 2008. Earth – An Introduction to Physical Geology. 9th Edition
Pearson Prentice Hall, 703 p.