What Kind of Erosion Causes Ravines?

Erosion shows the power of moving water on the earth as it wears down dirt and rock over time. Where runoff occurs in a sustained amount, erosion can eat away at low points causing gullies and ravines in a short amount of time. Soil washes away and rock gets either pulled out or worn down, allowing further transfer of lighter material. Some of the most famous ravines are now tourist locations, having seen erosion effects over thousands of years and continuing.

  1. Rainfall

    • Rain water that already moves toward lower land areas due to gravity can contribute to ravine erosion, making such gaps in the earth bigger and wider with time. As such damage increases over time, additional rain compounds the problem and runs faster into deeper and deeper, gravity-fed gullies. Absent changing the direction of water rainfall, the erosion will only continue and increases further down the ravine as it becomes concentrated.

    Badly Planned Irrigation

    • Development near existing ravines can also contribute to erosion as well. Water above and in the ground travels to the lowest, easiest point. As land becomes saturated with over-watering, the excess travels where gravity creates a physical draw. Ravines at the edge or in the middle of irrigated areas can become bigger with erosion unless the excess water is recaptured and redirected via piping or artificial channels.

    Pre-Directed Water

    • Some regional areas use natural and man-made ravines to channel rain and run-off water from hilly areas into lakes and reservoirs. As a result, large amounts of fast-moving water gets channel into a concentrated area, stripping away any loose dirt it comes in contact with. While the system may work at first, adjacent damage to such ravines can occur over time, possibly threatening property and homes.

    Lack of Vegetation

    • Ravines and low areas that have very little vegetation with deep roots will find such a condition makes erosion worse. Plants with good root networks hold soil together against water run-off. Areas where there is just light grass or no vegetation at all can suffer significant erosion and soil-crumbling when saturated with water.