How can soil be lost? Where does soil go when it is lost?

1 Answer
Aug 7, 2018

Soil is lost from a particular location by wind and water erosion. The lost soil is transported to other areas and dissipated.

Explanation:

Good soil is made of both mineral material and decomposed organic material. When grasses and trees are removed the soil is exposed to erosion. The rich grasslands that fed the Roman Empire in North Africa were turned into sterile desert by the cutting down of the forests and overgrazing of goats that left the soil exposed. The winds blew the soil into the ocean, leaving only sand and mineral material.