Soil Erosion: The Growth of the Desert in Africa and Elsewhere*

Abstract

USUALLY the soil is regarded as something particularly stable, but this stability is almost wholly due to its normal covering of vegetation. There is always a danger that if the cover of vegetation is removed the soil itself will begin to move under the action of either the wind or the rain. Rarely do we see these actions at work on a large scale in England ; the climatic conditions are not favourable, for our rainfall is gentle and evenly distributed throughout the year, and our big winds are mostly associated with rain. It is in semi-arid regions, where long periods of drought may be followed by torrential rains, that soil erosion becomes an active danger.