SOIL EROSION

REPORTERS: FRITZ ANN LANCISO, LARA JEANE LOSBAÑES, KRISTIAN LOVELL LEGASPI

Soil
- Loose surface material that covers most of the land.
- “Skin of the Earth”
- Mixture of minerals, dead and living organisms (organic materials), air, and water.
- Formed from the weathering of rocks.

Erosion
- Geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by
natural forces such as wind or water.

Soil Erosion
- Natural process of wearing away topsoil, but human activities have accelerated the
process.

AGENTS OF SOIL EROSION

Wind
- Responsible for the movement of finer dust
and sand producing the dominant features of
desert landscapes and plains outcrops. The
power of the wind erodes rock and sand.

Water
- Moving water specifically rain carries away
bits of soil and slowly washes away rock
fragments. Rushing stream and rivers wear
away their banks, creating larger and larger
valleys.

Wave
- Coastlines are continually being sculptured
and shaped by the action of waves.

Ice
- A glacier's weight, combined with its gradual movement, can drastically reshape the
landscape over long period of time.

Gravity
- The mass movement of rocks and soil under
the influence of gravity can remove large
amounts of material from a mountain side.

CAUSES OF SOIL EROSION

Rainfall and Flooding

- Floods most often occur during major storm
events that produce large amounts of rain over
short periods of time. If soils get saturated with
water after prolonged periods of intensive rain,
their capacity to absorb water decreases.

Deforestation
- When forests are wiped out, the land becomes
exposed, leaving it vulnerable to being washed
or blown away by elements.

Rivers and Streams

- Flowing water bodies put continuous pressure on the
walls and the bottom of their channel as it gradually
tears down river banks, stripping away parts of
surrounding land and undermining its stability.

Mining
- Mining can destroy landscapes, not only removing
earth but also removing the trees that are essential to
maintaining the soil.

Agriculture
- Inexperienced farmers turn millions of acres of native
grassland into heavily tilled fields but the area is
naturally very dry, and the land couldn’t support crops
that were not adapted to the climate like the native
grasses were.

Heavy Winds
- Light particles of dirt and dust can get carried by
wind and wind-blown particles then deposit
somewhere else – very often in the least suitable
places like roads, crop fields or private properties.

Construction
- Many construction projects begin by completely removing vegetation, which affects the
ability of soils to absorb water, often leaving soils exposed and vulnerable to agents of
erosion for many years before the project is finished.

Overgrazing
- Too many animals in one place for too long can lead
to poor or nonexistent stands of vegetation. Poor
stands of vegetation leave soils exposed to the
erosive power of surface water runoff.

EFFECTS OF SOIL EROSION

Loss of Arable Land

- The top fertile layer of the soil is rich in the essential
nutrients required by the plants and the soil. The
degraded soil caused by soil erosion does not support
crop production and leads to low crop productivity.

Clogging of Waterways
- The agricultural soil contains pesticides,
insecticides, fertilizers, and several other chemicals
that pollutes the water bodies where the soil flows.

Air Pollution
- The dust particles merge in the air when the winds
move, resulting in air pollution. Some of the toxic
substances such as pesticides and petroleum can be
extremely hazardous when inhaled.

Desertification
– The transformation of the habitable regions into
deserts. Deforestation and destructive use of land
worsens the situation and also leads to loss of
biodiversity, degradation of the soil, and alteration in
the ecosystem.

Destruction of Infrastructure
- The accumulation of soil sediments in dams and
along the banks can reduce their efficiency. It affects
infrastructural projects such as dams, embankments,
and drainage.

TYPES OF SOIL
Sandy Soil
- A light, warm, dry and tends to be acidic and low in
nutrients. Often known as light soils due to their high
proportion of sand and little clay (clay weighs more than
sand).
Clay Soil
- A heavy soil type that benefits from high nutrients.
It feels very sticky and rolls like plasticine when wet, and
once dry they form rock-hard clots.
Slit Soil
- A light and moisture retentive soil type with a high
fertility rating. Its particles are larger than clay, but
smaller than sand.
Peat Soil
- Formed or derived from plant remains under the
waterlogged environment where there is lack of oxygen.
High in organic matter and retains a large amount of
moisture.
Chalk Soil
- A solid, soft rock which breaks down easily. It is very
free draining, and chalky soils hold little water and dry
out easily. Sometimes called basic soils, they are always
very alkaline.
Loam Soil
- Considered to be the perfect soil, a mix of 40 % sand,
40% silt and 20% clay. Characteristically they drain well,
yet retain moisture and are nutrient rich, making them
ideal for cultivation.

PREVENTION OF SOIL EROSION

Afforestation
- The process of adding more trees and plants to an area.

Crop Rotation
- The fields remain bare between harvesting one crop
and growing the next; there is a period when the farmland
is devoid of crops.

Terrace Farming
- Farming is done on the slopes of the hills in steep
locations by cutting steps

Shelter Belts
- Trees are planted in rows along fence lines to create a shelter belt.

Embankments
- Placing sturdy structures known as embankments along
the river’s banks can protect fields from flooding.

Matting
- Coating soil with biodegradable materials such as dead
leaves, straw, coconut fiber, and wood chips.

Bunding
- These are upraised structures made of rock or earth
that retard water flow and increase water infiltration that
helps to control soil erosion by retaining the runoff from
the watershed in the watershed.

REFERENCES:
https://www.turito.com/learn/biology/prevention-of-soil-erosion,
https://www.boughton.co.uk/products/topsoils/soil-types/?
fbclid=IwAR2fjUCtW7OFJqy0HRNDnSAqx8hsJmZ1uZYyIJJQSTFLCl674fTtxFK9d50#:
~:text=Soil%20can%20be%20categorised%20into,the%20particles%20within%20a
%20soil
https://byjus.com/biology/soil-erosion/?
fbclid=IwAR3g7fOlN8gnZzkquYlUW7jGPpqbYX0nchfZx_FXSp2AQhgvrzIvjl4oz8I,
https://www.toppr.com/guides/science/soil/soil-erosion/?
fbclid=IwAR3nYRof_OVhghhyaWUFQ5mmeBFJ2IGPsH3qAkPgJVjk7JiM8ncyGjy0d
https://www.azolifesciences.com/article/What-Causes-Soil-Erosion.aspx#:~:text=Mining
%20is%20another%20major%20industry,essential%20to%20maintaining%20the
%20soil.
https://greentumble.com/causes-and-effects-of-soil-erosion#rain
http://www.lawsonfairbank.co.uk/soil-types.asp