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Soil Erosion
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Soil erosion occurs when soil is removed through the action of wind and water at a greater rate than it is formed. When a raindrop hits soil that is not protected by a cover of vegetation, and where there are no roots to bind the soil, it has the impact of a bullet.
Soils particles are loosened, washed down the slope of the land, and either end up in the valley or are washed away out to sea by streams and rivers. Erosion removes the topsoil first. Once this nutrient-rich layer is gone, few plants will grow in the soil again. Without soil and plants, the land becomes desert-like and unable to support life.