Agriculture
My name is Tamra and i am in 7th grade. i have a question on my science project. here is the question: where in the world is there the most top soil, and what do they do so that the soil deteriorates or there is less of it? is it a problem all over the world or just in the united states? thank you you can contact my teacher at phaug@spartan.org
Hi Jordan, Soils are very important because they support life. In answering your question I learned that in some places in the world top soil can be up to 100 feet thick! Soil loss through erosion is a problem around the world. There are steps that people can take to protect our soils. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service has many programs to help stabilize and protect soils. See below for a link to their Web site. For more information about soil thickness see (end of the article): weathering and soilshttp://enterprise.cc.uakron.edu/geology/natscigeo/Lectures/weath/weath.htm#top Soils are formed in several ways, beginning with the breakdown of rocks by any number of means (water, wind, and chemical reactions). For more information about soil formation see: Soil formation and classification --http://soils.usda.gov/education/facts/formation.html Over time soils can be depleted through a process called erosion. Erosion occurs when soils are exposed to the same forces which form soils (wind, water, chemical reactions) and also due to physical factors such as steep slopes. For more information about soil erosion see: soil erosion fact sheet --http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/engineer/facts/87-040.htm Soil erosion is a serious problem because it affects agriculture (decreasing crop yields) and water quality (silting streams). For more information about the agricultural impacts of soil erosion see: erosion and crop productivity --http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/2001/1-29-2001/topsoilerosion.html The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service periodically conducts surveys on soils. For more information on soil surveys and other resources including maps see: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ Good luck with your science project -- and stay curious. Susan McCarthy