Soil Erosion

Erosion is the process by which the surface of the Earth gets worn down. Erosion can be caused by natural elements such as wind and glacial ice. But anyone who has ever seen a picture of the Grand Canyon knows that nothing beats the slow steady movement of water when it comes to changing the Earth.

The key to erosion is something called "fluid flow." Water, air, and even ice are fluids because they tend to flow from one place to another due to the force of gravity. Of the three, liquid water is the most common agent of erosion because there's so much of it on the surface of the Earth. Erosion is the process of weathering and transport of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles) in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere. It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such as burrowing animals, in the case of bioerosion.

Erosion is a natural process, but it has been increased dramatically by human land use, especially industrial agriculture, deforestation, and urban sprawl.Land that is used for industrial agriculture generally experiences a significant greater rate of erosion than that of land under natural vegetation, or land used for sustainable agricultural practices.

This is particularly true if tillage is used, which reduces vegetation cover on the surface of the soil and disturbs both soil structure and plant roots that would otherwise hold the soil in place. However, improved land use practices can limit erosion, using techniques such as terrace-building, conservation tillage practices, and tree planting.Erosion refers to the gradual transport of materials around the Earth's surface.

Since erosion always travels in a down-slope direction, it can result in the wearing away of natural features. Erosion is one of the most important processes shaping the Earth's surface. In fact, if the Earth was tectonically stagnant, the forces of erosion would eventually smooth out the entire surface of the Earth, creating a global ocean.

Many people think of poor land use practices when they visualize erosion, since some startling images of erosion caused by deforestation and overgrazing have been well circulated. However, erosion is also a natural process, and an important one, since it moves nutrients around and shapes hospitable places on earth for plants and animals alike. The process of erosion is paired with deposition, the buildup of rocks and sediment in new configurations.