Erosion is a natural process by which rock and soil are broken loose from the earth's surface at one location and moved to another. Erosion changes land by wearing down mountains, filling in valleys, and making rivers appear and disappear. It is usually a slow and gradual process that occurs over thousands, even millions of years. Erosion begins with a process called weathering. In this process, enviromental factors break rock and soil into smaller pieces and loosen them from the earth's surface. A chief cause is the formation of ice. As water freezes, it expands with great force. As a result, when it freezes inside thw crack of a rock, it can break the rock aparf.
Fact file
Erosion can be speeded up by such human activities as farming and mining. One of the most harmful effects of erosion is that it robs farmland of productive topsoil.
I deal with thison a small scale with my little homestead in the Ozarks. Water moves everything uphill to down. This is one of the reasons I am working on terracing and creating a forest garden to help keep the soil in place.
I deal with thison a small scale with my little homestead in the Ozarks. Water moves everything uphill to down. This is one of the reasons I am working on terracing and creating a forest garden to help keep the soil in place.