Explain the following types of erosion; splash, sheet, and gully.

Splash erosion is the first stage of the erosion

process. It occurs when raindrops hit bare soil. The

explosive impact breaks up soil aggregates so that

individual soil particles are ‘splashed’ onto the soil

surface.

Sheet erosion is the removal of soil in thin layers

by raindrop impact and shallow surface flow. It

results in loss of the finest soil particles that

contain most of the available nutrients and organic

matter in the soil.

gully erosion is when the water movement is powerful enough to increase the channels to larger gully pathways greater than 3/10 of an inch, that is when gully erosion occurs. This type of water erosion can be caused by rainfall or melting snow as it moves. It occurs in areas where runoff water accumulates and flows quickly.