Soil Erosion

What is soil erosion?

The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down of it is described as soil erosion.The soil forming processes  and the erosional processes go on simultaneously and generally there is a balance between the two.Sometimes this balance is disturbed due to human activities like deforestation,over grazing and construction etc and natural forces like wind,glacier and water lead to soil erosion.The running water cuts through the clayey soil and make deep channels as gullies.The land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as badland.In the Chambal basin such lands are called ravines.Sometimes water flows as sheet down a slope.In this case the top part of the soil is washed away.This is known as sheet erosion.Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion.Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming.Ploughing in a wrong way up and down the slope form channels for the quick flow of water leading to soil erosion.