|
|
Erosion in
Australia
Water erosion on Uluru
Erosion is the wearing away of soil and rocks.It means that the topsoil is removed from the land.
Topsoil is the part of the ground that contains the most nutrients and is the most fertile part of the land for growing plants. It takes a long time to develop, so is a valuable resource.
There are several
types of soil erosion.
the hill, and without plants to hold the soil in place, the flowing water washes the soil away.
Mass movement is when the erosion is helped by gravity, including landslides and avalanches. Mass movement not only removes a great deal of earth and rocks, it can destroy houses and farmland.
Wind erosion is when the wind lifts
and removes topsoil. In dry areas in particular, 
soil that is not kept in place by plants
is easily removed by the wind. Where crops have been grown repeatedly
without giving the land a rest, the soil becomes less bound together
and easily breaks down and is removed. Where animals have grazed
too much or have trampled the earth hard, the plants are no longer
holding the soil together, and it can be removed by the wind.
The wind dumps the soil elsewhere, and can clog other farmland
and roads.
Wind and water erosion is not confined to farmlands.
The coastline of Australia shows the effects of wind and waves on the rocks.
Inland, in the dry centre of Australia, the action of wind and water can be seen in the land formations.
How can erosion
be controlled?
Farming methods
used should be suited to the conditions in Australia. Settlers
brought European farming methods when they came to Australia,
and they did not suit the land. Crops need to be rotated around
fields so that the soil is less disturbed by constant ploughing.
Stubble left in the fields, particularly canola stubble, helps
prevent wind erosion and are useful as grazing land. The numbers
of stock on the land should be enough so they do not over graze
the land, but are spread evenly over the whole area. 
Where there is bare land suffering water runoff, plants should be planted to hold the soil and keep it from being washed away.
Soil degradation is the term used to cover
the damage that occurs to soil. Soil erosion is just one of those
problems.
Find out about other
kinds of soil degradation
Find out more about
the different kinds of erosion and ways of reducing it:
http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/erosion.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2078923_prevent-soil-erosion.html
http://www.slideshare.net/cheergalsal/soil-erosion-38942
updated October © kidcyber [2008]