Areas at Risk of Soil Degradation
WorldPhysical EnvironmentLevels of concern for there to be a decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial, or urban purposes.
Geosystems: Intro to Physical Geography
A map illustrates areas at risk of soil degradation worldwide, categorized by serious concern, some concern, stable terrain, and non-vegetated land.
The map shows areas at risk of soil degradation using different colors. Areas of Serious Concern (light pink): North America: Great Plains, southwestern deserts, and Mississippi Valley. Central America: Most of the land. South America: Lands along the Andes mountains, parts of interior and coastal Brazil. Europe: Mostly in Eastern Europe. Africa: Near the Mediterranean in North Africa; lands of the Sahel along the southern border of the Sahara; in and around Nigeria in West Africa; the island of Madagascar; smaller patches in East Africa and southern Africa. Asia: Central and eastern China, much of mainland Southeast Asia, the islands of Borneo, and the Philippines. Australia: Southeast Australia has a small area of serious concern. Areas of Some Concern (light purple): Found in scattered regions across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Stable Terrain (light blue): These areas include parts of North America mostly in Canada, South America in parts of Brazil, and in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Nonvegetated Land (dark blue): Predominantly in desert regions such as the Sahara, Central Asia, and parts of Australia.
Areas of serious concern | Areas of some concern | Stable terrain | Nonvegetated land | High Pressure | Caledonian and Hercynian (or Appalachian) remnants | Isolated volcanic areas | Alpine system | Sedimentary covers | Laurasian shields | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alaska | 0.154% | 98.0% | ||||||||
Arizona | 30.7% | 40.9% | 28.4% | 100% | ||||||
Utah | 13.6% | 86.4% | 100% | |||||||
Yukon | 100% | 99.8% | 0.165% | |||||||
Northwest Territories | 3.06% | 5.87% | 7.69% | 49.6% | 35.7% | |||||
District of Columbia | 100% | 100% | ||||||||
Florida | 99.0% | 98.5% | ||||||||
Idaho | 12.7% | 87.3% | 100% | |||||||
New Hampshire | 100% | 100% | ||||||||
Rhode Island | 95.0% | 93.3% | ||||||||
Vermont | 2.39% | 97.6% | 92.0% | 8.01% | ||||||
Washington | 12.5% | 11.9% | 5.51% | 99.0% | ||||||
Wyoming | 3.04% | 97.0% | 56.0% | 44.0% | ||||||
Nunavut | 0.587% | 23.2% | 20.4% | 53.5% | ||||||
Montana | 5.14% | 83.8% | 37.5% | 62.5% | ||||||
Maine | 0.171% | 80.4% | 99.1% | |||||||
North Dakota | 92.0% | 8.03% | 96.7% | 3.34% | ||||||
Kentucky | 1.37% | 98.6% | 100% | |||||||
Nova Scotia | 18.4% | 93.9% | ||||||||
Virginia | 25.7% | 74.1% | 69.9% | 29.1% | ||||||
Delaware | 99.3% | 16.5% | 77.6% | |||||||
Prince Edward Island | 96.6% | 66.2% | ||||||||
Saskatchewan | 11.6% | 38.7% | 49.7% | 58.9% | 41.1% | |||||
Mississippi | 18.4% | 64.8% | 16.8% | 99.9% | ||||||
West Virginia | 26.7% | 73.3% | 13.2% | 86.8% | ||||||
Nebraska | 94.5% | 5.51% | 100% | |||||||
Texas | 13.8% | 77.2% | 8.74% | 6.01% | 93.7% | |||||
Missouri | 53.7% | 46.3% | 1.58% | 98.4% | ||||||
Louisiana | 0.161% | 18.9% | 29.5% | 98.5% | ||||||
Hawaii | 1.16% | 76.7% | ||||||||
North Carolina | 99.4% | 57.9% | 40.5% | |||||||
Oregon | 0.146% | 13.9% | 59.9% | 99.9% | ||||||
New Brunswick | 35.3% | 63.9% | 99.0% | |||||||
Alabama | 73.2% | 26.7% | 31.4% | 68.5% | ||||||
New Mexico | 5.86% | 92.2% | 1.91% | 77.9% | 22.1% | |||||
Kansas | 64.1% | 35.9% | 100% | |||||||
Wisconsin | 41.4% | 38.2% | 20.4% | 62.0% | 38.0% | |||||
British Columbia | 3.99% | 0.242% | 1 | 94.9% | 4.13% | |||||
Newfoundland and Labrador | 24.7% | 24.3% | 74.2% | |||||||
New Jersey | 99.1% | 68.7% | 27.2% | |||||||
South Carolina | 90.8% | 9.02% | 57.0% | 42.9% | ||||||
Michigan | 70.3% | 29.6% | 87.8% | 12.2% | ||||||
Alberta | 3.89% | 14.0% | 65.8% | 6.99% | 87.8% | 5.22% | ||||
Connecticut | 1.86% | 98.1% | 100% | |||||||
Pennsylvania | 12.1% | 87.9% | 26.2% | 73.8% | ||||||
Colorado | 35.4% | 64.6% | 64.2% | 35.8% | ||||||
Nevada | 54.5% | 39.8% | 0.655% | 100% | ||||||
Massachusetts | 0.575% | 93.6% | ||||||||
Georgia | 64.0% | 35.9% | 45.5% | 54.4% | ||||||
New York | 2.49% | 25.0% | 43.3% | 55.9% | ||||||
Maryland | 23.5% | 74.6% | 48.7% | 48.4% | ||||||
Québec | 0.218% | 94.2% | 1 | 3.44% | 1.99% | 94.2% | ||||
Manitoba | 5.67% | 12.3% | 81.9% | 30.3% | 69.6% | |||||
Oklahoma | 31.0% | 69.0% | 10.9% | 89.1% | ||||||
Tennessee | 4.84% | 95.2% | 16.8% | 83.2% | ||||||
Ontario | 8.22% | 91.7% | 30.7% | 69.2% | ||||||
California | 10.6% | 60.7% | 22.9% | 5.57% | 99.7% | |||||
Arkansas | 31.1% | 68.9% | 11.0% | 89.0% | ||||||
South Dakota | 56.9% | 43.1% | 8.10% | 79.3% | 12.6% | |||||
Ohio | 100% | 100% | ||||||||
Indiana | 2.05% | 97.9% | 100% | |||||||
Minnesota | 26.5% | 61.6% | 11.9% | 17.0% | 83.0% | |||||
Iowa | 99.1% | 0.440% | 99.0% | 1.02% | ||||||
Illinois | 96.6% | 3.35% | 100% |