The erosion also helped cleanse the soil of any useless materials, such as rotting tree matter or nutrient-less dirt from the area. The replaced soil can often become nutrient-rich and help plant life thrive.

reduced ability of the soil to store water and nutrients. exposure of subsoil, which often has poor physical and chemical properties. higher rates of runoff, shedding water and nutrients otherwise used for crop growth. loss of newly planted crops.

Positive- A positive effect of soil erosion is that new soil will get scattered over dead soil and moisturize it. Negative- A negative effect of soil erosion is that when soil gets eroded it strips the land of that soil, and can make that land bad for farming or vegetation.

Water erosion causes loss of topsoil, reduced crop yields, damaged infrastructure, weed dispersal, eutrophication (algal blooms) and silting of dams and natural waterways.

Water erosion is the most pertinent erosion problem in Iowa. Soil erosion by water occurs when bare-sloped soil surface is exposed to rainfall, and the rainfall intensity exceeds the rate of soil intake, or infiltration rate, leading to soil-surface runoff.

Erosion is the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water. A similar process, weathering, breaks down or dissolves rock, but does not involve movement.

Erosion is the transportation of sediment at the Earth’s surface. 4 agents move sediment: Water, Wind, Glaciers, and Mass Wasting (gravity).

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

The effects of soil erosion go beyond the loss of fertile land. It has led to increased pollution and sedimentation in streams and rivers, clogging these waterways and causing declines in fish and other species. And degraded lands are also often less able to hold onto water, which can worsen flooding.

Running water is the leading cause of soil erosion, because water is abundant and has a lot of power. Wind is also a leading cause of soil erosion because wind can pick up soil and blow it far away. Activities that remove vegetation, disturb the ground, or allow the ground to dry are activities that increase erosion.

Pore water pressure generation during rainfall creates instability among the topsoil surface, which becomes susceptible to soil erosion.

The potential for soil erosion increases if the soil has no or very little vegetative cover of plants and/or crop residues. Plant and residue cover protects the soil from raindrop impact and splash, tends to slow down the movement of runoff water and allows excess surface water to infiltrate.

Formation of rust takes longer time and is not an immediate reaction. Therefore, rusting of iron is an example of slow change where new substance, iron oxide is formed. 2. Another example of slow change is rotation of earth, which causes day to night.