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    SOIL

    Uploaded by

    Richzelle Nicole Enriquez

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    SOIL

    Uploaded by

    Richzelle Nicole Enriquez
    4 views2 pages

    Original Title

    SOIL (1)

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    4 views2 pages

    SOIL

    Uploaded by

    Richzelle Nicole Enriquez

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    SOIL

    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 166 Teacher tip This will be delivered as a straight lecture. 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.

    ACTIVITY. How soil can be conserved and protected for future generations

    SOURCE OF EROSION STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION


    Agricultural Depletion

    Overgrazing Animals

    Deforestation and Mining

    Development and Expansion

    Recreational Activities

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