EAS205 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Laterite, Tillage, Contour Plowing
17 Mar 2016
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Soil has few soluble nutrients left in it. Growth is supported by decay, so if the forest is cleared to plant crops, most of the nutrients are taken away, leaving little in the soil to nourish the crops. When vegetative cover is cleared, and soil is exposed to the tropical sun, it quickly hardens to solid brick ( great for construction, but resists infiltration by water and penetration of roots) Clays expand as they soak up water and shrink when they dry out. They are a very unstable base for a building. Process by which sediment settles, cracks and then becomes compacted when wet, and ends up collapsing. Densification: soak materials to cause readjustment that leads to greater stability. Physical removal of material from one place to another. Caused by water & wind (they carry away loosened matter) Steep and unobstructed slopes more vulnerable to erosion by water (because water flows more rapidly)
