Question

Main cause of soil erosion
A) Afforestation
B) Less rains
C) Thinning of ozone layer
D) Deforestation

Answer 1

Hint:The process of eroding, breaking, or gradually diminishing of rocks and soil, is called soil erosion. It is one of the ways in which the soil gets degraded.

Complete answer:
Let's have a look at the details of soil erosion.
It is a process in which the soil particles get washed away from mountain valleys, oceans and forests. Uncontrolled human activities in nature have accelerated this process. Soil erosion is considered as a process which can occur at a slow pace or at an alarming rate. The results of soil erosion includes the loosening of topsoil, ecological degradation and soil collapse.

Major causes of soil erosion are:
i) Rainfall and flood: During heavy rainfall, soil gets dispersed by the rainwater and later, it flows into nearby lakes and streams. During floods, soil gets eroded by creation of potholes and thick-cut basins.
Agriculture: It is one of the major causes of soil erosion. Agriculture activities disturbs the ground.
ii) Deforestation: Cutting of trees and clearing of forests results in soil erosion. Large number of trees are cut down for logging and construction. Because of trees and plants, soil gets accumulated up to a limit with the help of roots, thereby preventing soil erosion.Cutting down of trees results in easy flow of soil during the rainy season.

Now, let's look through the options for the correct answer.
>Option A: Afforestation is the process of planting trees and plants into an area which was previously not forested. Afforestation does not result in soil erosion. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
>Option B: Less rains do not result in soil erosion. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
>Option C: Thinning of the ozone layer does not have an effect on soil erosion. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
>Option D: Deforestation is one of the major causes for soil erosion. Therefore, this is the correct option.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note:Soil erosion can cause some serious issues. They are:
i) Loss of fertile soil
ii) Clogging of water ways
iii) Desertification
iv) Destruction of infrastructures