Soil Erosion
- Process: The gradual removal of the upper layer of soil by wind, water, or ice.
- Causes: Wind, water, gravity, livestock grazing, deforestation, urbanization.
- Rate: Can be rapid or gradual, depending on factors such as soil type, vegetation cover, and climate.
- Effects: Loss of soil fertility, sedimentation of water bodies, damage to infrastructure, and landscape degradation.
- Prevention and control: Terracing, contour plowing, windbreaks, cover crops, and reduced livestock grazing.
Mass Wasting
- Process: The rapid downslope movement of soil, rock, and debris under the influence of gravity.
- Causes: Earthquakes, landslides, mudflows, avalanches, and rockfalls.
- Rate: Typically occurs quickly or instantaneously.
- Effects: Loss of life and property, damage to infrastructure, and landscape alteration.
- Prevention and control: Slope stabilization measures, vegetation restoration, and early warning systems.