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 | Value | Class | Rank | Thousand carats | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Earthquakes | -36 to -41°C | -30 to -35°C | -24 to -29°C | -18 to -23°C | -12 to -17°C | -6 to -11°C | 0 to -5°C | 0 to 2°C | 3 to 5°C | 6 to 8°C | 9 to 11°C | 12 to 14°C | 15 to 17°C | 18 to 20°C | 21 to 23°C | 24 to 26°C | 27 to 29°C | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
23.0% | 35.0% | 31.0% | 10.1% | 1 | 1 | 14.7% | 34.5% | 21.4% | 15.2% | 21.7% | 17.5% | 23.1% | 15.3% | 33.6% | 16.9% | 13.3% | 8.73% | 8.38% | 5.23% | 17.2% | 8.69% | 7.14% |