12/02/2025
Soils exam 2
What other types of activities are also responsible for soil erosion besides
agriculture?
-urban construction
-surface mining
-Poor rangelands management
-Poor forest management
What are the three processes involved in erosion?
-detachment (occurs with raindrop impact or running water)
-transport (movement of particles and runoff)
-deposition (particle is re-reposition from the runoff)
What are some environmental effects from sediment loss?
-water quality (nutrients, pesticides, soil fines)
-aquatic habitat destruction (loss of spawning grounds and lower photosynthesis)
-filling of waterways and reservoirs (flooding and degrading costs)
-water supply degradation (must remove the sediment which cost lots of money due
to filtration and settling)
If you lose an average of 4.3 times per acre per year, how much depth is that over
an acre area?
-423mil acres of cropland (30% of all cropland) and >50% of all water erosion is from
cropland.
-we are losing soil much more quickly than we are regaining it, loss is greater than
gain.
What is the difference between geological natural and Accelerated erosion?
- natural geological erosion is always occurring and causes natural soil formation.
- accelerated erosion are disturbances at land surface which makes erosion occur
more quickly than natural erosion, caused by construction, mining, forming,
recreation and etc.
What are the three forces mention that cause erosion?
- water erosion the movement of soil or rocks by running water 1/3
- Wind erosion the movement of soil by wind 2/3
- gravitational erosion landslides, massive mudslides usually water related, no
vegetation to hold the soil in place
Where are the four major factors that influence water erosion?
- Rainfall Characteristics
- soil characteristics
- slope characteristics
- Vegetative cover
Rainfall Characteristics
- frequency, intensity and duration of rainfall
- as they increase total energy available for erosion increases
Soil characteristics
- texture prone to erode Silty> clay> sand
- Structure stronger = less erosion
- organic matter content
- permeability/ infiltration of water in the soil and through the soil
Slope characteristics
, 12/02/2025
As length and percent slope increases, the runoff Felicity will increase as the erosion
increases
Vegetative cover
- residues protect against splash erosion
- slows runoff velocity so transport decreases
- Builds organic matter and soil aggregation
What are the three principles of erosion control?
- Reduce raindrop impact on the soil surface
- Reduce runoff volume and velocity
- increase soil's resistance to erosion
What are the purposes of tillage?
- Preparation of seeds & root bed
- Control of weeds
- bury surface residues not impacting soils
- can dry out the soil in the spring the fluffing soil
- Temporarily breaks up surface compaction
- can reduce overwintering insects
no-till
- only improvements involved are drills or planters
- developed in the early 1960s as a result of concerns over soil desperation due to
the declines in soil organic matter, soil structure degeneration and increase of soil
compaction
Conservational tillage
- at least 30% of this oil surface is covered Buy plant residue after planting
- involves chisel plows
- The main objective is to lessen erosion due to less raindrop impact and runoff
surface
conventional tillage
- involves a complete inversion of the soil at the surface and usually brings up some
subsoil.
- provides good soil to seed contact
- destroys soil structure longer term increases compaction
- creates greater chance of erosion and surface sealing
What are some of the benefits to Conservation tillage?
- Reduces labor requirement
- Time-saving
- Reduction of machinery wear in tear
- Fuel saving
- Higher soil moisture
- Reduce soil erosion
- Improve surface water quality
- Improve water infiltration
- Increase organic matter
- decrease soil compaction
- improve soil tilth
Why is it important to maintain organic matter to help prevent soil erosion?
- because the rate of decomposition needs to be go to be < or = to the rate of
addition
- Reduce tillage
What are the three basic types of water erosion?
Soils exam 2
What other types of activities are also responsible for soil erosion besides
agriculture?
-urban construction
-surface mining
-Poor rangelands management
-Poor forest management
What are the three processes involved in erosion?
-detachment (occurs with raindrop impact or running water)
-transport (movement of particles and runoff)
-deposition (particle is re-reposition from the runoff)
What are some environmental effects from sediment loss?
-water quality (nutrients, pesticides, soil fines)
-aquatic habitat destruction (loss of spawning grounds and lower photosynthesis)
-filling of waterways and reservoirs (flooding and degrading costs)
-water supply degradation (must remove the sediment which cost lots of money due
to filtration and settling)
If you lose an average of 4.3 times per acre per year, how much depth is that over
an acre area?
-423mil acres of cropland (30% of all cropland) and >50% of all water erosion is from
cropland.
-we are losing soil much more quickly than we are regaining it, loss is greater than
gain.
What is the difference between geological natural and Accelerated erosion?
- natural geological erosion is always occurring and causes natural soil formation.
- accelerated erosion are disturbances at land surface which makes erosion occur
more quickly than natural erosion, caused by construction, mining, forming,
recreation and etc.
What are the three forces mention that cause erosion?
- water erosion the movement of soil or rocks by running water 1/3
- Wind erosion the movement of soil by wind 2/3
- gravitational erosion landslides, massive mudslides usually water related, no
vegetation to hold the soil in place
Where are the four major factors that influence water erosion?
- Rainfall Characteristics
- soil characteristics
- slope characteristics
- Vegetative cover
Rainfall Characteristics
- frequency, intensity and duration of rainfall
- as they increase total energy available for erosion increases
Soil characteristics
- texture prone to erode Silty> clay> sand
- Structure stronger = less erosion
- organic matter content
- permeability/ infiltration of water in the soil and through the soil
Slope characteristics
, 12/02/2025
As length and percent slope increases, the runoff Felicity will increase as the erosion
increases
Vegetative cover
- residues protect against splash erosion
- slows runoff velocity so transport decreases
- Builds organic matter and soil aggregation
What are the three principles of erosion control?
- Reduce raindrop impact on the soil surface
- Reduce runoff volume and velocity
- increase soil's resistance to erosion
What are the purposes of tillage?
- Preparation of seeds & root bed
- Control of weeds
- bury surface residues not impacting soils
- can dry out the soil in the spring the fluffing soil
- Temporarily breaks up surface compaction
- can reduce overwintering insects
no-till
- only improvements involved are drills or planters
- developed in the early 1960s as a result of concerns over soil desperation due to
the declines in soil organic matter, soil structure degeneration and increase of soil
compaction
Conservational tillage
- at least 30% of this oil surface is covered Buy plant residue after planting
- involves chisel plows
- The main objective is to lessen erosion due to less raindrop impact and runoff
surface
conventional tillage
- involves a complete inversion of the soil at the surface and usually brings up some
subsoil.
- provides good soil to seed contact
- destroys soil structure longer term increases compaction
- creates greater chance of erosion and surface sealing
What are some of the benefits to Conservation tillage?
- Reduces labor requirement
- Time-saving
- Reduction of machinery wear in tear
- Fuel saving
- Higher soil moisture
- Reduce soil erosion
- Improve surface water quality
- Improve water infiltration
- Increase organic matter
- decrease soil compaction
- improve soil tilth
Why is it important to maintain organic matter to help prevent soil erosion?
- because the rate of decomposition needs to be go to be < or = to the rate of
addition
- Reduce tillage
What are the three basic types of water erosion?
