what is soil conservation

Traction is the movement of particles by rolling, sliding, and shuffling along the eroded surface. This occurs in all erosional mediums. Erosion is defined as the removal of soil, sediment, regolith, and rock fragments from the landscape. Most landscapes show obvious evidence of erosion. Erosion is responsible for the creation of hills and valleys. It removes sediments from areas that were once glaciated, shapes the shorelines of lakes and coastlines, and transports material downslope from elevated sites. In order for erosion to occur, three processes must take place: detachment, entrainment and transport. Erosion also requires a medium to move material. Wind, water, and ice are the environmental media primarily responsible for erosion. Finally, the process of erosion stops when the transported particles fall out of the transporting medium and settle on a surface. This process is called deposition. Figure 1 illustrates an area of Death Valley, California where the effects of erosion and deposition can be easily seen. Energy of Erosion

Entrainment Forces Entrainment Forces * Raindrop impact: the force of a raindrop falling onto a soil or weathered rock surface is often sufficient to break weaker particle bonds. The amount of force exerted by a raindrop is a function of the terminal velocity and mass of the raindrop. Introduction Energy of Erosion