Soil Erosion MCQs Quiz | Class 10
This quiz focuses on **Soil Erosion** from **Class X Geography’s Resources and Development** unit. It covers important concepts like the **causes** of soil erosion and effective **conservation** methods. Test your knowledge, then submit to see your score and download a detailed answer PDF.
Understanding Soil Erosion: Causes and Conservation
Soil erosion is a natural process where the top layer of soil is removed by natural forces like wind and water, or by human activities. This topsoil is the most fertile part of the land, rich in organic matter and nutrients essential for plant growth. Its loss severely impacts agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and can lead to desertification.
Key Causes of Soil Erosion:
- Water Erosion: This is the most widespread form.
- Sheet Erosion: Uniform removal of a thin layer of soil by rainfall and runoff over a large area. It’s often difficult to notice in its early stages.
- Rill Erosion: Small, finger-like channels form on slopes due to concentrated water flow. These can often be smoothened out by farming.
- Gully Erosion: When rills deepen and widen into large, U-shaped or V-shaped channels, making the land unfit for cultivation. This is common in regions with steep slopes and heavy rainfall, like the Chambal ravines or parts of the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
- Landslides: Rapid movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope, often triggered by heavy rainfall or earthquakes, leading to significant soil loss.
- Wind Erosion: Common in arid and semi-arid regions where the soil is loose, dry, and unprotected by vegetation. Strong winds lift and transport soil particles, creating dust storms and degrading land.
- Human Activities:
- Deforestation: Cutting down trees removes the protective canopy and the binding network of roots, exposing soil to direct impact from rain and wind.
- Overgrazing: Excessive grazing by livestock removes vegetation cover, compacts the soil, and makes it vulnerable to erosion.
- Faulty Farming Practices: Ploughing up and down the slope creates channels for water runoff, lack of crop rotation, or leaving fields fallow for too long.
- Mining and Construction: These activities disturb large areas of land, remove vegetation, and alter natural drainage patterns, accelerating erosion.
Soil Conservation Methods:
Soil conservation refers to the management of soil to prevent its erosion and depletion, and to maintain its fertility.
| Conservation Method | Description | Primary Erosion Type Addressed |
|---|---|---|
| Contour Ploughing | Ploughing parallel to the contours of a hill slope, creating natural barriers for water. | Water erosion (slopes) |
| Terrace Farming | Cutting steps (terraces) into hill slopes, reducing runoff velocity and creating flat areas for cultivation. | Water erosion (mountains) |
| Strip Cropping | Growing different crops in alternate strips, some cover the soil more than others, breaking up water/wind flow. | Water & Wind erosion |
| Shelterbelts | Planting rows of trees or shrubs along the edges of fields to break the force of wind. | Wind erosion |
| Contour Barriers | Stones, grass, and soil used to build barriers along contours; trenches are dug in front of them to trap water. | Water erosion |
| Gully Plugging | Constructing check dams or small barriers across gullies to slow down water flow and prevent further deepening. | Gully erosion |
| Mulching | Covering the bare ground between plants with a layer of organic material (straw, leaves) to retain moisture and protect soil. | Water erosion (splash) |
| Crop Rotation | Changing the type of crops grown in the same area in a sequence to maintain soil fertility and structure. | General soil health |
Quick Revision:
- Erosion: Natural process of soil removal.
- Topsoil: Most fertile layer, crucial for agriculture.
- Causes: Water (sheet, rill, gully), Wind, Deforestation, Overgrazing, Faulty farming.
- Conservation: Contour ploughing, Terracing, Strip Cropping, Shelterbelts, Contour barriers, Gully plugging, Mulching, Crop rotation.
Practice Questions (with Answers):
- What is the term for the uniform removal of a thin layer of soil by rainfall over a large area?
Answer: Sheet erosion - Name two human activities that significantly accelerate soil erosion.
Answer: Deforestation, Overgrazing, Faulty farming practices (any two). - How does terrace farming help in conserving soil in mountainous regions?
Answer: It creates flat platforms, reducing the slope and slowing down water runoff, thus preventing soil from being washed away. - Explain the purpose of shelterbelts in arid areas.
Answer: Shelterbelts are rows of trees or shrubs planted to break the force of strong winds, thereby preventing wind erosion of the topsoil. - What is gully erosion, and how does it affect agricultural land?
Answer: Gully erosion is the formation of deep, wide channels due to concentrated water flow. It renders the land unfit for cultivation, making it barren and inaccessible.
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