University of Kirkuk
College of Engineering
Civil engineering
Engineering Geology
First stage
Soil Erosion
Prepared by:
1-Yousif Samir Ibrahim
Supervised by: 2-Sara Safaa Sabah
Dr. Falah Mohammed 3- Xak Nooraldin Tofiq
4-Sahar Muthana Fazl
1.Introduction :
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 opposite of deposition, the
geological process in which earthen materials are
deposited, or built up, on a landform.
Most erosion is performed by liquid water, wind,
or ice (usually in the form of a glacier). If the wind
is dusty, or water or glacial ice is muddy, erosion
is taking place. The brown color indicates that
bits of rock and soil are suspended in the fluid (air
or water) and being transported from one place to
another. This transported material is
called sediment.
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types of erosion :
1. Erosion by Water
Liquid water is the major agent of erosion on
Earth. Rain, rivers, floods, lakes, and the ocean
carry away bits of soil and sand and slowly wash
away the sediment.
Rainfall produces four types of soil erosion:
splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, and
gully erosion.
• Splash erosion describes the impact of a falling
raindrop, which can scatter tiny soil particles as
far as .6 meters (2 feet).
• Sheet erosion describes erosion caused by
runoff.
• Rill erosion describes erosion that takes place
as runoff develops into discrete streams (rills).
• Finally, gully erosion is the stage in which soil
particles are transported through large channels.
Gullies carry water for brief periods of time during
rainfall or snowmelt but appear as small valleys or
crevasses during dry seasons.
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2. Erosion by Wind
Wind is a powerful agent of erosion. Aeolian
(wind-driven) processes constantly transport
dust, sand, and ash from one place to another.
Wind can sometimes blow sand into
towering dunes. Some sand dunes in the Badain
Jaran section of the Gobi Desert in China, for
example, reach more than 400 meters (1,300 feet)
high.
In dry areas, windblown sand can blast against a
rock with tremendous force, slowly wearing away
the soft rock. It polishes rocks and cliffs until they
are smooth—giving the stone a so-called “desert
varnish.” Wind is responsible for the eroded
features that give Arches National Park, in the
U.S. state of Utah, its name.
Wind can also erode material until little remains at
all. Ventifacts are rocks that have been sculpted
by wind erosion. The enormous chalk formations
in the White Desert of Egypt are ventifacts carved
by thousands of years of wind roaring through the
flat landscape.
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3. Erosion by Ice
Ice, usually in the form of glaciers, can erode the
earth and create dramatic landforms. In frigid
areas and on some mountaintops, glaciers move
slowly downhill and across the land. As they
move, they transport everything in their path,
from tiny grains of sand to huge boulders.
Rocks carried by glaciers scrape against the
ground below, eroding both the ground and the
rocks. In this way, glaciers grind up rocks and
scrape away the soil. Moving glaciers gouge out
basins and form steep-sided mountain valleys.
Eroded sediment called moraine is often visible
on and around glaciers.
Several times in Earth’s history, vast glaciers
covered parts of the Northern Hemisphere. These
glacial periods are known as ice ages. Ice Age
glaciers carved much of the modern northern
North American and European landscape.
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WHAT SOLUTIONS EXIST TO PREVENT
SOIL EROSION?
1. Use Soil-friendly Agricultural Practices
Terraced farming needs to be implemented to make
hillside agriculture manageable. Terraces prevent
erosion and allow more water to flow to crops. In
addition, hillside farm fields need full crop cover to help
keep the soil in place. This can be accomplished by
intercropping, which means growing two crops together
in the same field, such as planting rows
of maize or soybean between rows of oil palm trees. For
smallholders, agroforestry systems where a diverse set
of crops, including trees, are grown together can be
effective. Access to manure improves the organic matter
of the soil, which inhibits erosion. Finally, alternating
deep-rooted and shallow-rooted crops improves soil
structure and reduces erosion at the same time.
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2. Offer Incentives for Land Management
Although the science of sustainable land management
has been gaining support, the socio-economic
context often makes implementation difficult.
Sustainable land practices need to be financially viable
for farmers. Anti-erosion measures have a median cost
of $500 per hectare, a considerable investment for a
farmer. Governments and banks must help farmers get
access to credit and support in implementing erosion
prevention. This is not only a good deal for the farmer,
but for the whole community. The cost of erosion
prevention is far lower than the price of land
restoration and rehabilitation, which one source
estimated to be around $1,500–$2,000 per hectare.
Another source found it could reach $15,221 per
hectare.
3. Prevention AND Rehabilitation
The key to managing and reducing soil erosion is to
rehabilitate already-damaged land, stop further
degradation and put erosion-preventative measures at
the core of land management policy. In this way, we can
help prevent hunger and mitigate the climate crisis
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Why Is Soil Erosion Such a Big
Problem?
Soil is a natural resource that may look robust and
endless, but is in fact the fragile product of thousands of
years of formation. Topsoil, which lies closest to the
surface of the land, contains essential nutrients for
crops. It is this layer of soil that is endangered by wind
and water erosion. Soil erosion decreases soil fertility,
which can negatively affect crop yields. It also sends
soil-laden water downstream, which can create heavy
layers of sediment that prevent streams and rivers from
flowing smoothly and can eventually lead to flooding.
Once soil erosion occurs, it is more likely to happen
again.
This is a global problem. Soil is eroding more quickly
than it is being formed, causing land to become
unsuitable for agriculture – a particularly serious
concern in a world where the population is expected to
top 9 billion by midcentury. Smarter land management
is a necessity.
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How Does Soil Erosion Affect Climate
Change?
Erosion degrades land, which means it can support
fewer plants that can take in climate-warming carbon
dioxide. Soils themselves could potentially sequester
enough greenhouse gases in a year to equal about 5% of
all annual human-made GHG emissions. Better land
management can help keep soils intact so they can grow
more carbon-sucking vegetation. This is already
happening in China, where the Grain-for-Green project
in the Yellow River basin conserved soil and water and
reduced carbon emissions.
On the flip side, unchecked climate change can worsen
erosion. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) found that when cultivated
without conservation practices, soil is currently eroding
up to 100 times quicker than it’s forming. The risk of
erosion will become even higher in the future due to
emissions-driven temperature changes, with resulting
decreases in agricultural production, land value and
human health.
