Page 168 - Primary Five Science

Types of Soil Erosion

1. Water Erosion

Water is a powerful agent of soil erosion. The following are the
major types of erosion caused by water.

(i) Sheet Erosion: When the top layer of the soil is removed

over a large area by the running water, it is called as sheet ero-

sion.

(ii) Rill Erosion: This is the second stage of sheet erosion. If

erosion continues unchecked for a sufficient time, (rills) or

small finger-shaped grooves which are a few centimetres in

depth, may develop on the landscape. Over a period of time,

the fine rills increase in number and also become deeper and

wider, and resemble the twigs, branches and trunk of a tree.

This is called as rill erosion.