Prevention of Weathering and Erosion – Effects and Methods

Effects Occur Due to Weathering

• Formation of soil: Soil is produced as a result of the continuous weathering of rocks. A very fine powder made of the rocky components of the Earth is soil. Soil development takes millions of years.

• Different landforms are formed as a result of rock weathering, including sea arches, stacks, and mushroom-shaped rocks.

• It is known as mass wasting when rocks slide down a slope due to the force of gravity and water.
• The four primary types of mass waste are as follows: Landslides, mudflows, earth flows, and sheet wash.

The Effect Caused Due to Erosion

• The agriculture industry is significantly impacted by soil erosion.
• An area lost the most nutrient-rich layer as the topsoil washed away, which decreased the soil’s quality. Low agricultural production might result from poor soil quality.
• As a result, the farmer will have to use fertilizers and pesticides.

• Contaminated soil can enter rivers and streams and contaminate drinking water when it is washed away.

• Flooding can occur when sediment from erosion builds up at the bottom of a slope and obstructs the flow of water through drainage canals, streams, and rivers.

Prevention of Weathering

• The salt prevents the water from freezing. Hence, it prevents the breakdown of rocks into sediments.
• As an alternative, the cement, asphalt, or rock fissures could be filled.
• Additionally, wind barriers are used to minimize weathering.

Prevention of Erosion

Various methods such as contour plowing, planting vegetation as ground cover, and mulch cropping are applied to prevent erosion.

Contour Plowing

• To reduce the flow of water and the soil it carries, contour plowing is done.
• Farmers plant their crops along the contours or curves of the land rather than going up and down the hill because erosion typically occurs on a slope.
• Contour farming serves as a reservoir to collect and hold rainwater, allowing for a greater and more even distribution of the water.

Planting Vegetation as Ground Cover

To cover and bind the soil, farmers plant grass and trees.

By covering the soil and holding the soil together with its roots; plants stop soil erosion caused by wind and water.

Herbs, wildflowers, and tiny trees are the greatest plant choices to stop soil erosion. Because they spread on the ground by crawling around rather than growing straight up, creepers are great plants that aid in preventing soil erosion.

Mulching

• Mulching is the use of materials like straw, compost, pine needles, and even beautiful rocks.
• It is applied to the soil’s surface to protect it from the wind and to reduce the force with which raindrops hit the soil.
• Mulching helps water enter the soil more slowly, reducing the impact of heavy rain.

Terrace farming

This involves planting on terraces or stairways built on the mountainside’s slope.

The purpose of the wide, flat rows is to function as a barrier, slowing the water and the soil it transports.

Windbreakers

Evergreen trees are planted around farms or gardens to create windbreaks that stop the wind from washing soil away.

Windbreakers protect crops from wind-related harm and enhance the health, quality, and production of plants.

Crops that are wind-protected can hold onto moisture much better.