Which one of the following is a natural process of land degradation?
Show Hint
- Mining activities
- Gully erosion
- Industrial waste
- Shifting cultivation
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Defining Land Degradation:
Land degradation is the decline in the biological or economic productivity of soil and land. This degradation is driven by two categories of forces:
• Anthropogenic (Human-induced): Deforestation, overgrazing, industrial pollution, shifting cultivation, mining.
• Natural Processes: Water erosion, wind erosion, salinization, and landslides.
Step 2: Evaluating the Given Options:
• Mining activities: A direct human activity that destroys soil profile and vegetation cover (Anthropogenic).
• Gully erosion: Water-induced erosion where running water cuts deep channels (gullies) into soil. This is a natural geological and geomorphological process (although human actions like overgrazing can accelerate it).
• Industrial waste: Human discharge of chemical effluents onto lands (Anthropogenic).
• Shifting cultivation: A human-led primitive agricultural technique (Anthropogenic).
Step 3: Conclusion:
Among all options, gully erosion is the only naturally occurring physical process of soil erosion and land degradation. Thus, Option (B) is the correct answer.
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