erosion

The process in which water or wind moves soil and rock particles from one location to another through water or wind action; the wearing away of the land surface; displacement of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles) usually by the agents of currents such as, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms. Types of erosion are (1) sheet and rill—a general washing away of a thin uniform sheet of soil, or removal of soil in many small channels or incisions caused by rainfall or irrigation runoff; (2) gully—channels or incisions cut by concentrated water runoff after heavy rains; (3) ephemeral—a water-worn, short-lived or seasonal incision, wider, deeper and longer than a rill, but shallower and smaller than a gully; and (4) wind—the carrying away of dust and sediment by wind in areas of high prevailing winds or low annual rainfall.

Authorization Path: 1.2.1.2.12.0