Types of soil erosion

Soil erosion is the detachment and removal of soil particles by water, wind, ice or gravity.

Types of soil erosion

1. Splash (raindrop) erosion: impact of raindrops detaches particles from bare soil.
2. Sheet erosion: thin uniform layer of topsoil removed by surface run-off over the whole slope; hard to notice.
3. Rill erosion: small, narrow channels (a few cm deep) formed by concentrated flow; can be removed by ploughing.
4. Gully erosion: deepened rills, widened into deep channels that cannot be crossed by machinery; common on Siwalik and loose soils.
5. Stream (river) bank erosion: cutting of banks by flow and undercutting of the toe.
6. Wind erosion: in dry, bare land.
7. Tunnel (piping) erosion: sub-surface flow carries particles, forming pipes.
8. Glacial erosion by moving ice.

Types of mass movement

Fall, topple, slide (rotational, translational), spread, flow (debris flow, mud flow), creep and complex movement.

Control: vegetation, terracing, check dams, drainage, contour farming, bio-engineering.